Artemis Fowl: Collision of the Worlds
by hopelily
Summary: An old antagonist is back, and he wants the lives of Holly and Artemis. As his plan unfolds, they must again join to save their worlds. But with reckless romances brewing and old ones spewing, their mistakes may have dire consequences. Orion nominated!
1. The Next Adventure

**Disclaimer:** I don't own them: Artemis Fowl II, Domovoi Butler, Juliet Butler, Holly Short, Trouble Kelp, Foaly, Vinyaya, Minerva Paradizo, or any other AF character I might have missed. However, I do own the plot and Mariana Short and Lauren Maple. It's not much, but it's something.

**Author's Note (PLEASE READ):** Okay, first things first: I FINALLY posted a full-length fic, something that's been in production for ages, and I finally think I've got all the bits and pieces of the plot together. Because, in my opinion, if you're going to have a long fic, have a good plot and know where you're going before you even start, you know. Well, that's just my obsessiveness with writing.

Anyways, this chapter basically introduces just about everyone that'll be important later, minus a few who's identies should remain secret, until the climax anyways. Be patient, the action will come, but there are a foreshadows of what to come, and rest assured, it is important to the greater plot. And in the meantime, enjoy a bit of romance dashed in there, for a healthy blend ;).

But before you start reading, you should probably be aware of something: There's two OCs (original characters). But don't kill me yet, let me explain- they are important to the plot. REALLY. Not terribly important, of course, and they won't be major characters either, but they're there. Am I still alive?

Just one more thing: My title sucks majorly, as you probably noticed by now. If you read and review, you're welcome to suggest a new title, if you want, but you might want to wait until the plot reveals itself a bit. But any cool, yet mysterious titles are VERY, VERY welcome. Thanks so much for putting up with my very extended author's note.

Now, let's get on with the actual fic!**  
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**Artemis Fowl: Collision of the Worlds**

**Chapter 1: The Next Adventure**

Artemis Fowl II contemplated the newest issue psychology journal. Now at 22 years old, he was already a globally renowned scientist, known particularly for his studies in psychology and his physics theories. Chances were he would be receiving a Nobel Prize in the next year.

But despite these huge achievements, he still personally considered his greatest feat one that had been attained at twelve years old; discovering the fairy people. Artemis smiled, remembering his own audacious plan to abduct a fairy at a magical site in southern Ireland. His plan to attain a metric ton of gold had worked, though not without a few twists, including a troll destroying his entire foyer. Most surprising though, were the emotions he felt. Guilt! Artemis recalled his own amazement that he, of all people, could feel such a _normal_ emotion. He had never felt that way before, despite his criminal tendencies. But then again, only Holly could make him feel so guilty.

That was not his only encounter with the People, however. Several times, he had joined forces with Holly Short, the sole female officer of the LEP Recon unit, to keep their worlds from colliding. Even though certain fairies had been more than eager to wipe his memory, he had cheated their mind-wipe with a gold-plated laser disc to impersonate the perforated gold coin given to him by Holly. He now fingered same gold coin that still hung around his neck.

Bored, he tapped the ring he wore on his right hand. It was actually a fairy communicator he had disguised in order to keep in touch with Holly. It was probably illegal but it was the only way they could avert the fairy Council.

Though his adventures with the People had been in the past for some time now, Artemis couldn't help missing them. The world seemed so tedious no matter how many laws of physics he disproved. He wished that there was some way he could rig the communicator to contact Holly but to the best of his knowledge, it was impossible without a plethora of advanced fairy technology at hand. And the best of Artemis Fowl's knowledge is most likely true.

For once in his life, Artemis longed to have people around him. Unfortunately he picked a bad time to develop a social life. His parents and younger brothers were away vacationing in the Bahamas and Juliet was away touring with a wrestling group in the States. The only person in Fowl Manor was Butler and unless you wanted to strike up a conversation about Sig Sauers, dead loss. There was, however Minerva.

Not that Artemis and Minerva were still together. After his adventure on the demon island of Hybras were time is contorted, Artemis had come back to find that three years had passed when in reality, they could not have been gone more than an hour or two. Before the incident, he had been fifteen and had a crush on Minerva, a fellow child genius. But when he came back, he found that everyone, especially Minerva, had changed, except him. The whole world had moved on without him and things were now inexplicably different in so many ways, on so many levels. For some reason, beyond Artemis's understanding (and that is beyond anyone's understanding), he no longer felt attracted to this older Minerva. Too much had changed over those years and there was no way to regain that, what they had had, momentarily.

However, there was one thing he could do to appease the boredom of having solved most of the problems of the universe. His only real opponent for the Nobel Prize was quite the jerk, to use such wording, having just gone on national television saying that the great Artemis Fowl was nothing but a stupid little kid toying with his hard drive. Not that the lies would convince anyone but himself, but the remarks still stung.

That blubbering idiot can't possibly have a very advanced system, Artemis mused. Perhaps he could do a little harmless hacking, maybe along the way, rid the world of yet another tremendous ego.

Artemis rubbed his hands together in anticipation. He was going to enjoy this.

* * *

Two girls in what humans would call their early-twenties in Haven's city square would not have caused much attention normally. But these were hardly normal girls. 

The younger was extremely pretty with dark russet corkscrew curls that fell to her waist elegantly. She wore a skimpy miniskirt and tank top, resplendent as she titled her head back and giggled. And she had the most stunning eyes, long-lashed and grey-green— the color of the stormy seas.

The other young woman was slightly older; small, slender and rather stunning, in her sharp looks that barely betrayed her femininity. Her soft, dark auburn curls fell to her shoulders and framed her face, a contrast to her otherwise pointed edges. She wore slightly flared jeans and a simple tee, clothes that scarcely hid her toned body beneath them.

"So, Holly, how's Trouble?" The dark haired girl asked suggestively.

"Those rumors have traveled out of the city already? Seriously, that centaur cannot keep a secret to save his life!" Holly said indignantly as her younger sister laughed. Holly and Trouble had been dating for the past year or so and had intended to keep it out of the tabloids. But you could only make out in the closets for so long before Foaly discovered. And it was saying among the LEP that if Foaly knew something, you could be sure all of Haven knew it too.

"Mari, I can't believe you read that junk!" Holly remarked. "I mean, they don't have anything better to do than write dumb jokes about me?"

"Well," Mariana said, "Since no one the Council has made a fool of themselves lately, Skylar Peat hasn't been arrested on a DUI, and Foaly hasn't invented anything new, then you're the hot juicy news this week. Congrats!"

"So nice to know that I qualify as back-up tabloid fodder," Holly said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Mariana grabbed a couple magazines off a newsstand, "'Crazy Girly Captain Scores New Boyfriend' and a nice photo-shopped picture of you and Trouble making out. Oh and look at that shot of your butt!"

"Drop it, Mari, or I'll spill to _your_ boyfriend about your last midnight escapade," Holly threatened.

"You wouldn't," she replied confidently, still thumbing through the periodical. Suddenly, her eyes widened, "Have you seen this, Holly?! Trouble's running for office?"

"_Political _office?" Holly snatched the magazine out of her sister's hands, a look of worry crossing her face, seeming older than her years. "It can't be."

"Well, if he hasn't told you, I'm sure it's nothing. It's just a junky tabloid making up something ludicrous as usual," assured Mariana. Holly was still unsure but nodded anyways. Just then, her pager beeped. Holly dug in her jean pocket for it and glanced at the ID.

"It's Foaly, might be an emergency," She looked apologetically at Mariana. "I'll just go check it out real quick; you can come if you like."

The girls ran swiftly down the street to Police Plaza, an imposing building that stood at the edge of the downtown Haven district. Holly showed her ID to the guard, ran through the metal detectors and fingerprint scanners, and went straight to the Operations Booth.

"Hey, Foaly, what's up?" she asked.

"Your _boyfriend_ just has a new recruit to show you," he said, not even looking up from his monitors. Holly ignored the boyfriend crack, "You called me off-duty all because of a recruit?"

When Sool had been drummed out of the force a few years back, Trouble had taken his place. And a couple years after that, when Holly finally managed to return from the demon island of Hybras, she had agreed to rejoin the LEP as a major, with some persuasion from Vinyaya and a few added benefits, to say in the least.

"Well, the way his initiation runs are going now, it is earth-shattering news if _anyone_ passes," Foaly pointed out. He was right. Trouble Kelp was the youngest commander in LEP history, a man in his prime. Going up against him for initiation was no easy task, especially with his practiced skill.

"So I take it that Trouble isn't exactly a push-over?" asked Mariana, feeling a bit left out. Foaly noticed her and asked, "Who's the tag-along, Holly?"

"This is Mariana, my sister. She's in college in Atlantis and she's in town for the summer. You should like her— physics major, no less."

"Oh really?" Foaly was gearing up for a match of wits, "I bet you couldn't figure out my temporal time equation."

"Are you kidding me? Isn't that the same one that the Fowl kid found mistakes with?" Mariana scoffed.

Holly sat back, prepared to be bored half to death. However, and thankfully, they was interrupted by the entrance of Commander Trouble Kelp.

"So you have a new recruit?" Holly asked, "You actually let someone pass for once?"

"Well," Trouble said, feigning disappointment, as he sunk into the couch beside Holly, "I suppose it had to happen sometime. But imagine me, being outrun and outmaneuvered by a cadet!"

"Hey, I could beat your shooting any day, any where," said Holly. "But where is this cadet who finally beat you? He must be some kind of miracle."

"She, actually," Trouble corrected, brushing a lock of hair out of his eyes, "I got beat by a little girl."

Laurel Maple entered the operations booth in the best of moods. She was indeed, little and lithe, her physique much like Holly's, and her darkish blonde hair was swept back into a ponytail. Her eyes were as dark as midnight but her smile was bright as the sun. It was hard to believe that this was the girl who looked barely out of her teens had beaten out the esteemed Trouble Kelp.

Holly grinned at Trouble's embarrassment and said to Lauren, "Thanks so much! I think you might have dented his ego a bit."

"You must be Major Short. My name's Lauren Maple, honored to meet you, ma'am," the cadet was young and excited.

"Oh, don't call me ma'am; it makes me feel so old! Call me Holly," she answered and pointed to the still debating centaur, "That's Foaly, resident genius and purveyor of paranoia. You might want to work on scraping his ego as well."

Upon hearing his name, Foaly turned his head, "_You_ beat Trouble Kelp?" he said, staring at Laurel, seeing a mine of opportunities to mock Trouble.

"Wow, just got the memo, Foaly? And you call yourself contemporary," Trouble retorted.

"Well, I'm not the one who just got my butt whooped by a kid!"

"You want to try going up against Lauren? She's tougher than she looks. You should know that, having known Holly all these years." Trouble defended. "Which reminds me, Holly, I'm putting you in charge of training her."

Just then Foaly's gas screens fired up. "Situation aboveground involving probe of scope satellites." Callers blared from various scenes.

Trouble leapt into action, "Location? And level of alert?"

"The location is in the south of France. And the alert is currently unclassified."

"Okay, boys, enough testosterone fueled sparring," Holly intervened, "I'm officially reactivating myself."

"Are you serious? I don't like this," Foaly disagreed.

"Don't worry, I can take care of myself." Holly said, gearing up, "And there's no better than training than the real thing, Trouble. So Lauren, you better charge up your Neutrino. You're going to need it."

* * *

Meanwhile, Juliet was on her way home to Fowl Manor. Her small, red Fiat zoomed along the countryside of Northern Ireland, a green landscape wrought with hills. Sure, wrestling in the States was exciting enough but she could only take so many huge men who talked primarily in grunts. So not cool. 

Now twenty-six years old, Juliet was prettier than ever. Her long blonde hair was twined into a braid that extended to her waist, ending in her trademark jade ring. She wore a pastel pink cropped jacket and grey slacks with huge loop earrings and blue-green eyes sparkled with excitement. Ever since she was eighteen, Juliet had joined a wrestling troupe instead of choosing to pursue a career in personal protection like her brother. She hadn't even gone back to Madame Ko's academy to complete her education and receive the coveted blue diamond tattoo. Sometimes she regretted giving up all those years of work but Holly was right; that life wasn't for her.

The Fiat whined softly as it climbed a monstrous hill that culminated in the great walls of Fowl Manor. The Manor had been adapted from a Norman castle but the security was as tight as ever. Juliet grinned mischievously. She hadn't told her older brother, Butler that she was coming and she didn't intend to get into the Manor in an orthodox way. Time to test her skills.

Juliet parked out of the way of the security cameras at the entrance and quickly spotted their blind spots. Small, maybe, but not nonexistent. She would have to tell Artemis about this.

She knew that there would be motion sensors placed randomly on the wall, but not on the iron wrought gate. A bit stupid if you thought about it; the gate may have been 16 feet tall, but the intricate designs made for great footholds. Juliet quickly dashed through the beams of the camera into single blind spot by the gate, which she agilely scaled. She dropped to the ground on the other side and skillfully made her way to one of the side doors. Juliet may have not been home for almost a year but she still fondly remembered practically every inch of the Manor and grounds. The lock was simple, easily breakable, cheated by an ordinary hairpin. And that was exactly what Juliet did.

Artemis could be so brilliant yet so foolish all at the same time, she thought as she peeled off her shoes to tiptoe through the house. Juliet checked her wristwatch. 3:15. Too easy, she knew exactly where Butler would be, meditating. Butler was so unlike her, always so in touch with his _quiet place_. Juliet had so much trouble sitting still as a child that people wondered if she had ADHD!

She was now at the screen door that separated Butler from her. There was no way she could open it without making a sound but she could at least give Butler a bit of a scare. Juliet cleared her throat, attempting a scary imitation of Artemis's haughty voice, "Butler? We appear to have intruders."

What followed resembled a stampede of elephants. The door slammed open and there stood Butler, in all of his nearly seven feet of height. "Juliet! What are you doing here?"

"Just a surprise visit," Juliet smirked, "I snuck in and you didn't even notice. Time for a new security system?"

"How do you do that? That system costs 10,000 euros, and the imitation of Artemis? That is just scary, Juliet," Butler shook his head, "But if Artemis isn't down here, what is he doing?"

"He's probably in his study. Artemis always cooped up in there doing something or the other."

Artemis was indeed still in his study, for once, actually having fun (which was a major stretch for him).

* * *

Holly was getting into the shuttle after successfully having Vinyaya sign for her reactivation when she heard Trouble come up from behind her. The tabloid downtown was still nagging at the back of her mind. 

"Listen, I read something downtown earlier today," she began.

"Yeah, what did it say?"

"It was about you. Particularly about you entering politics. It isn't true, is it?"

"Holly, what have got against politics?"

"You mean aside from the fact that they all label me as polarizing and try to catch me on every little mistake I've ever made in my entire life? If that's politics, no thanks, I'll pass."

"Sorry to break it you, Holly, but you _are_ polarizing."

"Thanks, Mr. Politician, I hadn't noticed," Holly said sarcastically.

"I was thinking about it, yeah. I mean, I could really win, you know? And it doesn't have to be like that. Cahertez is just a jerk."

"What's your stance?"

"Huh?"

"Liberal or conservative? What are your political views? Pro-choice? Affirmative action? Tax cuts or more benefits?"

"How do you know all this?"

"I'm not an idiot. I may not like politics but at least I'm informed. So don't tell me that it's just them, because that's not true. You have to spin in politics and I don't want to see you turn into that. And, there's also the publicity. You know the propagandists run something about us almost everyday. If you run for office, be prepared for more of that."

"Holly, let's not talk about that right now. It's just a hunch, and I'm not even sure if I will run anyways. Lope's still got a good two years left in his term. We'll deal with it when it happens, okay?"

Somehow his voice gave Holly a feeling of security, the promise that things would stay the same. And for once, she wanted that; she was finally happy, living in the now, not looking back in the past or dashing towards the future. But don't you know it? Things never quite turn out the way you want them to and of course, nothing every stays the same, especially for Holly Short.

* * *

**Author's Note**: So? D'you like? And yes, Holly and Trouble are together, and as incentive for all of you to review- tell me if I should keep them together...And tell me if you would like this fic to be Holly/Artemis instead. I'm favoring Holly/Artemis right now, but for the ending, anyways, I could go both ways. So, tell me which I should choose in your review and I'll promise to tally up a vote and consider it. 

And you guys, if I get enough reviews to make me happy, then you can expect another update by the weekend. But if not...well, I'm going on vacation next week so, don't lose your chance, guys!

Ta-ta,

Lily


	2. Target Neutralized

**Disclaimer:** Mr. Colfer, I swear I never stole your writing. Please don't sue me because you don't like my fic!

**Author's Note:** Wow, you guys are amazing! I was so incredibly happy to get 11 reviews for the very first chapter- and it was boring, too! Thanks so much to xamethyst girlx, escape artists, KristaLyn, phantomdreamer, Artemisx07, XoLEP'sfirstOX, Tizronell, MissJuliet (btw, your drabbles are great!), Usernames Are Irrelevant, DroopingRoseHead, and XxTotallyObsessedxX. Keep on reading _and_ reviewing!

And because I was so ecstatic, I've decided to give you this chapter before even the end of the week. See, when you review, I become empowered and get that boring, but necessary proof-reading done!

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**Chapter 2 Target Neutralized**

The earth's mantle and crust were riddled with various chutes and tunnels, thanks to the handiwork of the People. They made for an extremely fast, extremely advanced, and extremely dangerous highway system.

This particular service tunnel opened into the main chute system that dropped straight into the earth's iron core. Needless to say, it was quite a sight. Holly glanced over at Lauren in the copilot's seat and said nonchalantly, "Hope you're not queasy."

"No, let's go core-diving," Laurel said eagerly. She had heard about the risky game in the academy and she was rather keen on trying it herself.

"You read my mind," Holly grinned. Trouble had been right; Laurel was a lot like her. Holly's deft hands easily maneuvered the shuttle into the chute and let go of throttle. The girls shrieked as if on a rather exciting roller-coaster ride. It wasn't until the flaming iron sphere looked close enough to singe that Holly pulled at the joysticks sharply and they soared vertical.

Foaly's image appeared on her screen, "You never do anything boring, do you?"

"No point in it, Foaly," Holly beamed, checking her dashboard, "And tell Trouble that I beat his core-diving record, _again_."

"Will do," said Foaly, "And as for the south of France, you know who that most likely is, don't you?"

"Of course! Minerva Paradizo. Ah, what is she, our new Artemis Fowl? I would've thought she learned her lesson with her _boyfriend_ disappearing into another dimension."

"Oh, so that's why you had to have this mission."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't fake innocence, Holly, it doesn't suit you. You want payback and you want it bad."

"Your suspicion is wounding, Foaly, what makes you think I have a thing against Fowl's little girlfriend?"

"Uh, sorry to interrupt, but I have no idea of either of you are talking about," Laurel was confused.

"It was a Section Eight covert mission," Holly quickly outlined her last adventure with Artemis. "And well, I think I do owe Miss Paradizo a little kick in the ass, don't you think?"

"Play nice, now, Holly," Foaly warned. "So what do you suppose little Minerva wants to probe us for?"

"No idea," Holly admitted, "Really, I didn't think she could be so stupid to mess with us twice. Well, then again, this _is_ the child _genius_ with the brains to knowingly tempt a murderer and kidnapper."

* * *

Minerva Paradizo was indeed in the south of France, unwinding in her manor with a flute of 1964 Bordeaux. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and the nineteen year old certainly had plenty of reason to celebrate. She had her own Fortune 100 telecommunications company, patented 27 inventions to date, published more than a dozen science articles and that was all before she could legally vote. But she still remembered the year she was twelve years old. 

Oh, she had had everything all worked out back then. Her plan was absolutely flawless, all except for a single kink: Artemis Fowl. He had outwitted her, when she believed that no one could, stolen her demon away, and her hopes of being the youngest ever Nobel Prize recipient. And now, he was about to claim the prize and title that was rightfully hers. Minerva kept up appearances of course, pretended that the Irish boy was an idol, her hero. And to think that the rest of the dimwitted world bought her ploy, believing that she actually liked the boy! But that was all just a facsimile behind which she silently stewed. How dare he ruin her dreams? No one messed with Minerva Paradizo and got away with it.

So now she had a new plan. And this one was going to work, no matter what Artemis Fowl and his little fairy friends had to say about it.

* * *

Meanwhile, deep within the stone corridors of Fowl Manor, Artemis Fowl was never entirely relaxed. His brow was always furrowed and his eyes intent on his work. But then his phone rang. Or rather, his ring rang. 

The garish red jeweled ring on his right hand was actually a fairy communicator given to him by Holly Short years ago. Now, looking at it, he decided it needed an upgrade. After all, Foaly had waved his precious gas screens in his face long enough. Perhaps his security systems did too, considering that Juliet had just managed to bypass it without breaking a sweat. But then again Juliet Butler was not most people.

He twisted the phone into position. "Hello, Holly."

"Actually, it's Foaly. Seriously, Fowl, you still haven't gotten caller ID on that thing?"

That was typical Foaly, a crack for every occasion, "Why Foaly, I would've expected you to miraculously appear in a hologram on my computer. Not even an uplink to my screen? I am disappointed in you."

Just then, Foaly's face appeared on his computer monitor saying, "Eat your words, Artemis. Anyways, guess where Holly is right now?"

Artemis feigned a sigh but inside he was secretly glad. If Foaly was calling, surely he would have an interesting little errand for him, "I would hazard a guess to right outside my door?"

"Actually, she's on her way to your girlfriend's house. Little Minerva Paradizo's at it once again, trying to probe my scopes."

Artemis was intrigued. "Really, Foaly, she isn't my girlfriend. Far from it, I haven't seen her in at least a year."

"Why, what happened?"

"Ah, I believe she simply lost interest in me. You know how those silly teenage girls are. Rest assured I'm not heartbroken."

"I wouldn't call Minerva just a silly teenage girl. She almost did beat you, and that's something, you have to admit," Foaly probed at Artemis's ego

"Oh, yes, of course. She was much more proficient on that front than you were," Artemis retorted.

"Oh shut up, Fowl. You just remember that if it weren't for me, you would be shot more times than even you could count."

"What a superbly witty retort!" Artemis rolled his sapphire blue eyes.

"And I thought that by what, twenty-two, human puberty would be over already!" Foaly kept them coming but just then, Holly's face appeared next to his on the screen, "And _I_ thought that by three hundred, fairy puberty would be over, already!"

Artemis was surprised by Holly's appearance but hid it well. True, he hadn't actually seen her in a few years, but he hadn't expected that she would finally grow out her hair. The dark red curls were shoulder-length and the way they edged her countenance was…not exactly feminine, but….

"Anyways," Holly continued, not at all noticing Artemis's astonishment, "Foaly actually did call to ask you if you knew what Minerva could be up to, believe it or not."

"Well, I wouldn't know. She hasn't really been on speaking terms with me for a while now," Artemis admitted, and found that the truth stung. What was it about him that he could never keep the company of a young lady for long, even the intellectual types?

Holly shook her head, thinking the same thing, "Figures. Artemis Fowl finally gets a shot at a pretty girl and he messes it up."

"It isn't like you're great friends with Minerva, either," Artemis retorted.

"No," Holly conceded, "But I'm not the one she had a crush on."

"I cannot believe this. Holly Short, famous for turning down about a dozen men in the course a single day, is lecturing me on my lack romantic skill?" said Artemis, realizing the absurdity of the situation.

"Hey, just because I'm not guy-crazy like Lili Frond, doesn't mean I don't go out sometimes when I feel like it," objected Holly, "Besides, _I_ happen to have a boyfriend."

With those parting words, she hung up, leaving Artemis to wonder, against his own better judgment, who this lucky (or unlucky, depending on your point of view) fairy was.

* * *

Having taken her luxurious break, Minerva took to her study upstairs. She glanced carelessly for a moment at her reflection in a full-length mirror. It showed a haughty looking young woman with platinum blonde locks, curled to just barely pass below her upwardly titled chin. Her eyes were a pale, blue-grey that glittered with the same sheen as stainless steel. She sported an attire of a neat, grey slacks and blazer. 

A very fitting image for an extremely powerful young someone, she decided. Minerva opened her tiny laptop and saw a single email waiting on her screen, consisting of just five words.

_It is time, my partner_.

Minerva smiled, savoring what she knew would now come, the sweet taste of revenge and the silkiness of victory. We shall now see just who the most powerful one of all is, she vowed, and the entire world will be speechless at _my_ brilliance. However, a small clang downstairs interrupted her thoughts.

But there was nobody home except for Minerva. She wondered what the disturbance could be.

Minerva may have been egotistical but she was by no means daft. She knew very well that she had enemies, but she also knew that she could easily defeat them with her superior intellect. Minerva decided that she needed to take an extra precaution nevertheless and tucked a small Colt revolver into her blazer.

She crept downstairs, slowly, haltingly. Her shoeless feet were as silent as death on the plush carpets of her chateau. In the living room, she found a small ornamental figurine fallen from its place on the mantle but nothing else out of place. That was, until she noticed a slight shimmer in the air.

Now, Minerva Paradizo may have been the first human to capture a demon but she scarcely knew a thing of the rest of the fairies, unlike Artemis Fowl. She did not know of the magical fairy powers, healing, Mesmer, and shielding. Therefore, she most certainly did not know of Foaly and his satellite scopes.

But Minerva would not have much time contemplate the slight shimmer in the air for a beam of electric blue light seemed to appear from thin air and rendered her unconscious.

* * *

"Target neutralized," Holly reported in her helmet mike. Foaly glanced through his camera in her helmet and said, "You really enjoyed that didn't you." 

"Yeah, can I buzz her later?" Holly joked as she and Lauren stowed Minerva's unconscious body in the shuttle.

"Whatever. Did you leave any trace?"

"Nope. Well, Lauren broke a little statuette but I don't think anyone would think much of it."

"Alright," Foaly hesitated, "What do you think of bringing Artemis underground?"

"Why would you do that?" Holly asked suspiciously.

"Well, this could be bigger than it seems, Holly. I mean, where did Minerva even learn about the scopes, let along how to bypass my security? It's pretty fishy, I think, especially given that Artemis isn't on talking terms with her." Holly realized that Foaly could very well be correct.

"Well…" she considered it. It wouldn't be bad to have Artemis belowground for few days, and it was in the interest of national security, after all. "Alright, I'll go get him."

* * *

Juliet crept into the study, her bare feet scarcely making a sound on the hardwood floors, intent on catching Artemis by surprise. But nobody fools Artemis Fowl. 

"Welcome home, Juliet. Why back so soon?" he said, not even tearing his eyes from his computer screen.

"I can only take a bunch men talking in only grunts for so long," complained Juliet, pulling up a chair beside him. "But don't get excited, I have another tour in couple of weeks. I just thought I'd take a little vacation for now."

"When are you going to give up wrestling, Juliet?"

"Not any time soon, thank you very much, Artemis," Juliet retorted, "I like touring in the States."

"You can't keep this up forever, you know."

"Well yes, but," Juliet didn't want to admit that she really didn't know what she wanted to do after her wrestling career was over. And Artemis was right, as usual, it couldn't last forever, these things never did. And she wasn't ready to settle down just yet, not to stand at the shoulder of some conniving politician or self-important billionaire businessman.

"What are you working on now, Arty?" she said, neatly changing the subject.

"Ah, just a little leisure hacking," he replied with a smile.

"You never just play solitaire, do you?"

"No, that would never be enough to challenge his distinguished intellect," said a familiarly sarcastic voice. Holly appeared in the air beside them.

"Oh, Arty, what did you do, now?" Juliet grinned and said, "Hey Holly, love the hair!"

"Thanks," Holly said, flinging a windswept lock behind her shoulder. Artemis was reminded of their conversation earlier. Holly did look good, he had to admit; her wavy curls were tucked into a messy ponytail and she looked as young as ever. Artemis marveled at how in ten years, she could practically never change, whereas for him, he had gone from twelve-year-old child genius, to an adult, by anyone's standards.

"So, let me guess, Foaly realized that Minerva could not have known about his scopes from me, therefore was suspicious at her sudden knowledge of the People," Artemis was expecting this, to say in the least.

"Dead on," Holly said. "Sorry to break it to you, mud boy, but you're coming underground."

"Wait a sec, what about Minerva?" Juliet was a little lost.

"You do know about Arty's little whirlwind romance, don't you?" Holly raised one eyebrow.

"It was most certainly not a romance!" Artemis objected.

"Whatever you say, Artemis." Holly whispered something in Juliet's ear and they both laughed.

Artemis glared and said, "Right, and this is coming from little miss _I_ have a boyfriend."

"Anyways," said Holly, ignoring the jab, and recapped the situation. "So, get ready to fly, mud boy." She tossed him a set of wings.

Even Artemis was surprised, "Are you serious?"

"As long as you promise not to steal them," Holly winked, "Anyways, can't I enjoy the sight of you crash-landing?"

Artemis glanced down at the controls and found that he had only a vague conception of how they worked, "Uh, why can't we just take the Bentley?"

"It's a lot faster this way," Holly explained, "And besides, we need to make a detour over some water."

"Hey, what about me?" Juliet asked, feeling a bit left out.

Holly glanced at Artemis, "I don't have an extra set of wings. I thought you would be still on your wrestling tour."

"I came back early," Juliet hastily explained, "I am involved in this little adventure, aren't I?"

"I think it would be best if I'd just get a grasp of the situation first, Juliet. If I need you, I could always call." Artemis said.

"Aw, I wanted to see Arty make a fool of himself!" Juliet pouted childishly.

"I'll take a video clip, promise." Holly grinned.

* * *

Trouble entered the operations booth, looking a bit miffed. Foaly said, "So have you told her yet?" 

"She found out. Tabloids, you know," he said, sitting down. "I don't know what to do, Foaly."

"Isn't that typical," Foaly had to at least make one jab before getting serious, "But really, Trouble, I don't know why you want to get into politics so much. Holly's right, for the most part, it isn't anything but corruption and you'll get all wrapped up in it, before long."

"But Foaly, don't you think things can change?" Trouble argued.

"Not the way the Council does it." He had a point; the fairy Council wasn't known for its swift decision-making skills.

"But still," Trouble truthfully didn't quite know why this was so important to him. But he just wanted to make a difference; he was different from the other politicians, he was young and wasn't doing it for the money or the power.

"Listen," Foaly finally said, "You and Holly, it isn't going to be easy. You know that if you run that's going to affect her, a lot. Holly isn't the average political wife, to say in the least."

"We're not married, Foaly."

"Not yet, you aren't," Foaly winked, "You think half the LEP hasn't figured out your little plans yet? Or for that matter, seen the ring?"

Trouble blushed; it was the truth. He loved Holly a lot and always had, ever since they were teenagers. "I really love her, Foaly, I really do. And as much as I want a Council seat, I don't want to drag her into this."

Foaly looked him straight in the eye, "Then don't, Trouble. I know Holly well, too, and any idiot can see that she's happy, right now and she doesn't want that to change. If you're going to enter politics, just don't drag her into it."

"You mean, don't get married."

Foaly nodded. "You have to remember that Holly's a lot younger than you; she isn't ready to settle down just yet. But then again, knowing Holly, I can't say for sure if she ever will be."

* * *

Artemis struggled to strap on the wings. He couldn't believe Holly was actually giving him wings, though secretly, it was probably for her own enjoyment watching him break his neck. Those girls had such a sick sense of humor."Uh, Holly? You might want to give me a lesson or two?" Artemis studied the controls; they weren't too complicated but he was unsure about a few. 

She stood next to him and gave him the basics. "Those are an old model, way eaiser to operate. Shouldn't be too difficult for a _genius_ to work out, surely?"

Artemis grimaced, imagining his body going _splat_ on the ground. Holly laughed, "Don't worry, Foaly would murder me if I actually let you crash. I'll string a piton between us and if something goes wrong, just tell me through the mikes, okay?"

The mikes were flesh-toned memory latex that stuck perfectly to their larynxes, allowing them to communicate, even miles away. Artemis nodded a bit nervously.

Holly set off, her body agile and fast, negating the wind. Artemis struggled to follow and was pulled along haphazardly by the piton. The unforgiving wind scraped Artemis's face like a thousand daggers and he said into his mike, "Holly, mind going a little slower?"

A laugh came through his earpieces, "What's the point in going slow? Smile for the camera, Fowl!"

They flew over landscapes so fast it seemed almost a blur but Artemis made out the green fields of Ireland followed by the teal waters of the sea and the forests of England. Finally, Holly began to descend, and landed gracefully in the middle of a clearing. Artemis struggled to follow and stumbled, nearing knocking her over.

"Seriously, Artemis, I thought you might be a little bit more fit after the whole troll thing," Holly said, catching his arm. Artemis recalled the rather unpleasant experience of having dozens of trolls chasing after you in a model, ironically, of the Temple of Artemis.

"I don't think being dragged across three hundred miles could be lessened by any amount of fitness." Artemis said, rubbing his forehead. "I really don't understand how you could control that thing."

"I've had a lot more practice than you," Holly admitted, "My dad taught me when I was a kid."

"What are we doing here anyways?" Artemis studied his surroundings, a picturesque enough clearing in the woods, with a small creek roving through it. In the distance, he could hear the sounds of a waterfall.

Holly checked her wrist computer. "Foaly deduced the coordinates that whoever hacked the scopes were trying to fixate on to about here. Or more accurately, about a hundred yards that way."

Artemis's gaze followed her finger to a small, worn-out path jutting into the trees. Despite the fact that it was entirely daylight and the wood was not at all frightening, he couldn't help but feel that there was more to this equation than meets the eye. "It feels strange," he admitted.

"I know, but we have to at least check it out. Besides, it doesn't look dangerous at all," Holly said, still eyeing the path with suspicion. She determinedly strode towards it, her pace brisk but careful. Artemis followed, wishing that he had at least the sense to change out of his Armani suit and loafers. Within a minute, they came to another grassy clearing, a small pool of water fed by a stream situated in the center.

Holly stopped and cast her gaze over the tranquil-looking scene. It was perfectly normal, not a thing out of place. "I really don't see why anybody would point a satellite at this," she said, looking at Artemis.

The wheels were turning inside his head, as usual, and surprisingly, Artemis came up blank. "Are you sure you have the coordinates correct?"

Holly checked again, "Yes, I'm absolutely sure."

Artemis could not come up with an explanation, save for one. And just that moment, his suspicions were confirmed with a whizzing overhead.

"Holly, get down!" He yelled, leaping to the ground. She grabbed his hand and the two of them fell lopsidedly into the pool.

Thousands of miles away, another voice rejoiced. "Target neutralized."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Ah, I have discovered the joy of giving my readers a cliffhanger and then going on vacation for two weeks. (I get to go to Europe! Yay!) 

But, if you guys review as well as you did for the last chapter, I will probably be giving you the next chapter sometime next week. Probably- I've still got to pack some stuff and I have violin and volunteer work both days next week. So, maybe, if I wrangle enough time without parental interference. (You know how it is.)

Anyways, keep on reviewing and giving me your opinion on whether this fic should END as A/H or H/T. Emphasize on end because whether you like it or not, there's going to be some of each progressing through this fic. Notice that I put hints of both in this chapter as well. But be aware that I'm not going entirely on public opinion because I have a really good epilogue worked out for A/H and I'm really leaning towards that (and reviewers are, too, apprarently). Well, at least _I_ think it's good.

And one more thing before I go: I still need a not-so-lame title, guys! If anyone's thought of anything not too specific but catchy, that would be amazing. Don't be afraid to offer suggestions and critique, since this is my first full-length fanfiction ever and I definitely need all the help I can get.

Thanks again,

Lily


	3. Going Underground

**Disclaimer: **Well, I might've used a few signature phrases, and even the chapter title, but the plot is mine, really. I promise, Mr. Colfer, I won't steal your characters (wouldn't want Minerva anyways). Okay, on with the story now.

**Author's Note:** Wow, you guys are amazing! I got four more reviews while I was on vacation, making the grand total 23- a record high for me, and only after two chapters. (Of course, it's probably all thanks to my friend Angela, or DroopingRoseHead, on She has a great new Artemis Fowl story and if you don't like my style, try hers. To put it mildly, we're really different.) Anyways, I finally got over my jet lag and wrote a really long chapter. Seriously, it's crazy long- 11 pages on Microsoft Word.

But about the actual chapter- this chapter, I kind of go out on a limb and really do some inventing of my own (you'll see). I hope it doesn't sound too horrible. I call it character developement, but others may just call it out of character. We'll see.

And there is some action, and a few juicy details, so enjoy:

* * *

**Chapter 3 Going Underground **

If one were to have been in a plane above that particular spot in the north of England, they would've seen the serenely green woods disturbed by a sudden flash of light. The flare came up in a fiery blast of pure, white energy, rustling the trees with insurmountable strength. Its design was revolutionary, very much unlike the simple human explosives one would expect to see. There was no black smoke or fire; its footprint and trace was almost imaginary, but its reach incredible. The only way a being could avoid it, was to, say, have a protective barrier covering them. Earth would be sufficient, or perhaps water.

Which was incredibly fortunate for Artemis and Holly; they emerged from the pool entirely unscathed, but rather shaken. Holly was first to regain her senses, "Artemis, we have to leave, now!"

She pulled the shocked young man from the shallow water and in barely a minute, they were both up in the air, safely dashing towards E-1.

"Do you realize that this whole thing was a trap? The perpetrator expected us to be able to trace to this point and investigate it! And, who ever it was wanted us dead!" Artemis shouted over the mikes, having barely regained his sanity.

"Yes, I do realize that, Artemis. But for goodness sakes, don't yell— the mikes are whisper sensitive and I'm trying to fly," she answered brusquely. "We have to get out of here, and fast; save the conspiracy plots for later, why don't you?"

"Very well," Artemis agreed. The rest of the flight back passed in much silence as both mulled their circumstances. It was certainly not an extremely new experience for these two to have attempts on their life, but this had taken them by surprise. For one thing, it was a cleverly orchestrated trap but the truly worrying part was that the scopes perpetrator was supposedly Minerva Paradizo. It was a fact that Artemis, in particular, would prefer not to admit, but as he pondered this quandary, there seemed to be no way around it. Minerva, having been in contact with the fairies also, perhaps could have developed this sophisticated explosive on her own terms. But Minerva?

Artemis recalled their last encounter. It had been about a year after he had returned from Hybras and by that time, Minerva was quite the regular visitor at Fowl Manor. His parents certainly adored her and thought her as the perfect match for their dear son. But to tell the truth, Artemis found her company rather tedious after a while. Perhaps, he had thought, this was his old personality emerging again, and his eminent preference to be alone rather than to be in the company of anyone at all, even a fellow genius.

But what had he noticed about Minerva, Artemis now pounded his memory for answers. She had been rather interested in his then-developing physics theory, he recalled, but he had been surprised at a flash of — could it be resentment? — in her eyes as he noted that he fully expected a nomination for the Nobel Prize. Understandable, Artemis thought, as he recalled that the Nobel Prize had been the ultimate goal during Minerva's demon studies.

And then there was the fact that Minerva still seemed to harbor a sort of childish _crush_ on him, Artemis remembered. Perhaps that was why he stopped returning her calls after a while. Minerva's incessant fluttering of her lashes, and juvenile giggling was incredibly annoying, Artemis found, and a distraction to his all-important work. Science had always come first for Artemis Fowl and that was a fact that will not be changed, no matter how many times Minerva flips her golden blonde curls.

True as it was that he no longer wished to be anything more than friends (entirely professional friends at that, on more of a scientific basis, than anything), Artemis had never expected that Minerva could harbor such abhorrence towards him. He may no longer be smitten with the girl but he had thought that they had at least parted friends. Why would she want to _kill_ him?

* * *

Back at the manor, Juliet was quietly fuming. She almost never got to go on these escapades with Artemis and Holly nowadays. The last time was the Spiro incident, and that _had_ been pretty exciting, but it had been so long ago! Wrestling was exhilarating enough but she wanted some _real_ action! Little did she know that she was about to get it. 

As she dusted off Artemis's study, the contents of his monitor caught her by surprise. There was several of Artemis's own hardware programs open on the desktop, all related to hacking. That wasn't much to say, as she knew that Artemis still quite regularly hacked into large corporations because, in his words, they quite deserved it. But this was different. A private fund? What was going on here? Juliet wondered.

* * *

E-1 was hidden away in the hills of Ireland, in a very innocent place. No passersby could ever suspect that a highly technologically advance shuttleport was within the hillocks. But within the shuttleport itself, Laurel Maple was having a bit of a different problem. 

"I'm telling you, I have complete authorization from the commander himself, issued just this morning," she told the security officer.

The gnome snorted. What kind of sane person would believe that— a girl looking hardly old enough to drive, saying she had emergency authorization from an LEP commander? "Then it would be in my computer. What's your rank, anyways?"

Lauren sighed— technically, she was still in training and hadn't officially been issued an _official_ uniform or badge yet and that was proving to be quite the liability now. Holly had left her to drive back to E-1 herself, as the major was currently collecting Artemis for a little investigation. Who knew when Holly would be back to flash her badge at this gnome?

"Listen, Major Holly Short's with me. She'll be back really soon, just let me park for now, okay? I don't even need to go aboveground."

"Oh yeah, sure, the crazy girly captain, is it? Then maybe I should be making sure that this mission is even legal!" the gnome leered at her.

"Hey, unless you could save this civilization half a dozen times, then I suggest you shut up!" Lauren flared. "What's the harm of just letting me park for goodness sakes?"

"Girly, don't you know that it's summer solstice season? The new parking units are under renovation and if the customers complain about not being able to get the hell of here, then _my_ badge is on the line!" the gnome retorted. "Besides why should I believe that you aren't just making this whole thing up?"

As if exactly on cue, Major Holly Short, followed by Artemis Fowl II, stumbled through the shuttleport door. They were a bedraggled pair, indeed, rather worn and entirely drenched— not exactly a great image for the LEP in front of shuttleport security and a ton of tourists.

"Oh yeah," the gnome muttered as he let the disheveled bunch pass, "that _is_ the crazy girl captain-turned-major with her even crazier mud boy. Why does this always happen on _my_ shift…?"

* * *

Holly sighed, her breath turning to fog by the running hot water, in the small shuttle bathroom. This whole affair was actually turning into quite a big deal. What had she dragged herself and a trainee into? This whole major thing had its kicks (hadn't she been longing for a bit of real adventure?) but she didn't envy being in Trouble's spot right now, as Lauren called HQ to inform him of today's events. They were finally heading back to Haven, with Artemis in tow, after what seemed like forever. 

Even in the air conditioned shuttle, the heat of the magma in the earth's underground was getting to her. Holly stripped away her drenched suit, leaving nothing but a pair of khaki shorts and a tank top. For obvious reasons, she wore clothes underneath her LEP suit, especially nowadays when it seemed that the Council (who controlled the weather underground) couldn't get enough of this summer heat. Holly quickly swept up her hair in a messy ponytail and went outside to face Artemis.

He glanced at her as she came out and for a moment, he seemed to be hypnotized for moment. He had, after all, never seen Holly in such revealing clothes, even though they were perfectly kosher by Juliet's skimpy standards. He supposed that he simply wasn't used to seeing Holly as a girl, as well as the thousands of other things she was. It seemed that once you knew her, her gender took backseat to her many other traits. A pity the fairy council still couldn't see that.

"Hey, Artemis, someone _is_ trying to kill us, remember?" Holly's voice, clearly oblivious to his stares, brought him back to earth. She sat down opposite of him in the main cabin of the shuttle.

"Yes, of course," he started, "Anyways, I have deduced the explosives used were clearly above the reach of the average humans, which rules out most of the population. I suppose the military cannot be excluded, since their technology is currently about eight years ahead of that of the mainstream. However, the footprint seems to be entirely clean, something I haven't discovered in all my hacking, and something human military forces aren't particularly adept at, so…"

"Artemis, yes, I figured. Let's cut to the chase; main suspect is, strangely enough, Minerva," she too, seemed bothered by this, "Any ideas why she wants to kill us?"

"I could have never anticipated this," Artemis rubbed his temples, "She could not possibly hate me that much from stealing away her demon. I had previously thought that we parted as friends or at least, not enemies…"

To Artemis's surprise, Holly smiled wryly. "Artemis, you're so egotistical. You were probably just collateral. Whoever did this probably has fairy contact— Minerva couldn't have done this by herself, brilliant as she is— there is more here. And, whoever it is, they were probably aiming for me."

The truth was striking. Artemis recovered quickly, "Yes, perhaps. There must be a fairy source; that much is certain. Perhaps Minerva was simply a pawn in a much greater plot; as Butler says, there is no such thing as coincidence. Or perhaps I am just doubtful to believe that Minerva would knowingly attempt to kill."

"Me, too," Holly admitted.

"You never liked her," it was Artemis turn to smirk.

"Well, no," she said, "But I don't think she's a murderer. She'd be far more likely to try to steal someone else's research, or something, rather than kill the guy. This is not her style."

"Well, the only way to know for certain is to interrogate her when she awakes," Artemis decided, "And in the meantime, we must retrieve Minerva's records, find out if she is in contact with anyone who could be the true perpetrator of this plot, and if so, who."

"Yeah, sure," Holly said, "Foaly's on it. But, um…"

She hesitated, but Artemis knew where she was getting at, "Of course I'll help, Holly. We're friends and that's what friends do, correct?"

Holly laughed at his formal tone, "Yeah, I guess so. But not many friends have to ever save each other's lives."

"Perhaps not, but we are hardly the average," Their eyes caught for a golden moment but just as quickly, it was broken. Holly stood, grabbing a bottle of water from the cooler. "So, what do we do now?"

"Nothing," Artemis replied confidently, "If they want us, they will come. All we have to do is be ready when they do."

* * *

Trouble was waiting for them at the shuttleport, looking extremely anxious. Holly grinned from the cockpit, trying to keep from laughing at him. For a moment, he looked so serious, for once, so unlike the Trouble who used to pass comical notes to her in school and couldn't even keep his face straight at Council meetings. Perhaps that was why she liked him so much; he could turn anything (even statistical analysis) into something fun. 

Holly descended from the shuttle, agile as a cat. Trouble was beside her at once, asking, "I heard what happened. Who's after you?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out, isn't it?" she said nonchalantly.

"How can you be so casual? You almost died!"

"I suppose after so many assassination attempts, they start to get old," Holly shrugged, "Calm down, Trouble. It was nothing and we'll get to the bottom of this— we always do."

Artemis, at this point, was just disembarking and turned in their direction just in time to catch a wisp of Holly's voice and see her kiss Trouble on the cheek. As he swept her up in a full-out passionate embrace, it seemed that Artemis wasn't the only one watching. The other LEP officers looked on wistfully as the youngest and only female major made out with their commander. No doubt they wished they were in Trouble Kelp's place. Artemis found himself wishing the same, for a fleeting, unguarded moment. He quickly banished the thought, thinking what could possibly be wrong with him to even _think_ that.

Foaly caught the look on his face, though. He smirked, saying, "You haven't heard yet? It was all around the tabloids a few months back. What a couple, huh?"

Artemis barely regained his indifferent veneer, "Well, that was rather surprising."

"Are you kidding?" Foaly laughed. "You are really behind the times, aren't you? Holly and Trouble, they've known each other since they were kids and he's had a crush on her for just about forever. It was only a matter of time."

"Oh…" Artemis couldn't think of anything else to say, but just followed the crowd into the Operations Booth. "I never heard."

"Well, Holly doesn't usually fill you in on the details of her love life, does she?" Foaly snorted. "Not that she has much of one. In all the time I've known her, she's dated like two guys."

That revived Artemis a bit, enough at least, for him to retort, "And look whose talking."

That struck a nerve. Foaly and Caballine had recently broken up all over a silly disagreement. It was true what they said— centaurs were about as temperamental as they got. And that didn't bode well for Artemis, but he was relieved from Foaly's wrath as Trouble was striding towards them.

"You had to bring him?" Trouble rolled his eyes.

"This could be the start of something big, Trouble. And you know as well I do that we're going to need him if that happens," Holly returned.

Trouble hated to admit it, but Holly was right. It was true that Holly and Artemis made the best team he had ever seen but still…. No fairy liked to ask a human for help, even when that particular human was, unfortunately, good friends with that particular fairy's girlfriend.

Trouble started making his way towards Artemis and Holly, sensing the impending tension, followed.

"Hello, Artemis," he said, holding out his hand, struggling to be cordial.

"Nice to meet you, too…er…Commander," Artemis returned, with an equally pained look on his face.

"Look, it wasn't my idea to bring you, here, but we've got to do what we've got to do, so just solve this thing as quick as possible, okay?"

"Very well," Artemis retorted.

Holly and Foaly watched this strained exchange with amused looks on their faces. Foaly whispered to her, "You've better get this whole thing settled and fast before one of them kills the other."

"Are you kidding?" she returned, "Neither of them will be wielding anything more volatile than a pen as long as he's here."

"Well, I've got to be going. I have a Council meeting in half an hour," said Trouble, turning to Holly.

She gave him a warning look and he, seeing it, assured her, "It isn't about that, really. We'll talk about it later."

With those parting words, he left, disappearing through the glass doors. Holly frowned, watching him. Of course, running for Council, in the end, was his choice, but she knew that she would have to make a tough decision, too, if he did. She couldn't and wouldn't be that always affable, chocolate-chip-cookie-baking political spouse.

Artemis noticed and asked, "Something wrong?"

"No," she sighed, looking exhausted all of a sudden, "It's nothing, really. Foaly, haven't you got any real leads, yet?"

* * *

Trouble leaned back in his chair, situated at the end of a long conference table. It had been a long day. First, there was this brewing Artemis Fowl affair, and now the Council was determined that this was not within his and Holly's power to bring the mud boy underground once again. They were not pleased, to say in the least, and Trouble had to employ the "it was the pony's idea" tactic. (After all, Foaly was definitely not expendable.) But, if this situation went south, then it would be his to answer to. Being commander sounded far cushier than it really was. 

To top it all off, his girlfriend's life was, once again, hanging on the line. He'd known Holly for so long— they had grown up like siblings, almost; in the moments they'd stolen away from parents and expectations, at least. Being the elder one, he had always tried to look out for her. Tried, being the key word: Holly always seemed to be involved in everything dangerous.

Partially, he supposed, it was the way she acted— almost, like she thought she was immortal. Some would call it arrogant or reckless but Trouble knew better.

And then there was the problem at hand; this plot was increasing in intensity as they spoke but for now, they had nothing to do but investigate the little leads that they had, the best being Minerva. She was in custody for the time being but was still unconscious, conveniently.

"How strong of a charge did you use, Holly?" Foaly had asked.

"Third setting, just in case," she had retorted, secretly laughing. Who didn't love a bit of sweet revenge?

"And that was totally necessary?" he had raised an eyebrow, extremely amused.

"Maybe," Holly had answered, "Well, no. But it was really satisfying."

And so, they would wait until tomorrow to interrogate Minerva. However, her laptop had been very revealing indeed— especially suspicious were several emails that could, apparently not be traced, even by the supposedly clever Foaly. But they detailed information about a certain weapon that Foaly admitted was very close to the explosion that Holly and Artemis had witnessed. Through what they could tell, Minerva had been helping the sender improve such weaponry that seemed suspiciously akin to a fairy-made class of weapons, that, for example, the bio-bomb happened to belong to.

The whole business thoroughly suspicious and all the evidence seemed to point to Minerva and her informant, but nothing could be certain without a successful trace and a _very_ successful interrogation. And _that_ would have to wait until tomorrow.

So, for now, there was just one more problem to address, "Where's Fowl going to stay while he's here?"

They had all but decided that Artemis would have to stay for the meantime, as this whole business got sorted out. There was just one problem— the mud boy had grown since his last visit underground and the LEP headquarters didn't particularly feature high ceilings. Holly felt Trouble's eyes on her. "Hey, why are you looking at me?"

"You know," Trouble said, "Take him to your place."

"You mean _her_ place," Holly corrected.

"It's yours now."

Artemis had absolutely no idea what place they were discussing, aside from it being his living quarters. He suspected that no one else in the room did either.

"You know I hate it. I'm not taking him _there_," Holly shot back.

"There isn't much other choice. Fowl was your idea, so now it's your responsibility, whether you like it or not."

Holly shook her head resignedly, and retorted, "Fine, but I'm borrowing _your_ SUV, whether _you_ like it or not."

* * *

Mulch Diggums was finally free and clear of all charges. Sure, he still bent the rules a few times, in the course of his various _leisure_ activities, but he had never been actually caught yet, so it was basically the same thing. Basically. 

After all, running the PI firm with Doodah Day was nothing particularly exciting compared to all the missions he had participated in with Holly. Of course, Mulch always took care to keep up the pretense that he was reeled unwillingly into it, and hopefully sucking out a few extra benefits out of the LEP, but nowadays, he did miss it. For goodness sakes, he actually even missed the Irish kid, a little.

Mulch propped his feet up on his desk which was not a pretty sight and prompted everyone else in the building to vacate it immediately. Ah, those were the good old days, he mused as he chugged down carbonated water. He even toyed with the idea of calling up Foaly, just to chat, but decided against it. Business may be slow lately, but Mulch wasn't quite bored enough to willingly listen to the centaur's annoying voice whine on and on about his pathetic budget.

Unfortunately, that turned out to not be his choice as the phone rang precisely at that moment. Mulch picked it up, eager for a distraction from his monotonous day, not bothering to glance at the caller ID— a mistake as it turned out. "Diggums & Day, private investigators."

Foaly's profile appeared on Mulch's monitor and his irritating voice teased, "So, Mulch, guess which Irish genius just came down to Haven?"

"That Fowl kid again?" Mulch feigned annoyance but secretly rejoiced— this could spell the start of another adventure.

"Yep," Foaly went on, safely out of the way from the dwarf's rear end, "But it doesn't look like you're invited to the party. Too bad, we're always in need of some flatulence."

"Yeah, that is too bad," Mulch retorted, "because I'm always in need of your useless gadgets."

Mulch had hit the sweet spot; anyone who even barely knew Foaly knew not to insult his inventions. For the centaur, an affront to him was forgivable, but an affront to his contraptions was about the equivalent of teasing an agitated troll. And we all know how that one works out.

"You gasbag!" Foaly sputtered, "You are going to be so sorry you said that, because now, I am personally going to make sure that you have the dirtiest, most dangerous job on this mission."

"I thought you said I'm not invited?" Mulch feigned a look of surprise, trying to hide the smile that was threatening to melt over his features.

Foaly smirked, "Oh, you're invited. You're officially invited to do whatever dirty job Artemis comes up for this. So you better be ready, dwarf, you better be ready."

With those lovely parting words, the screen went blank. Mulch now smirked at the gift that Foaly had unwittingly given him and said to the empty room, "Thanks, stupid pony."

* * *

"Mariana," Holly was calling someone on her cell, as far as Artemis could tell. But that wasn't much, though, since he was crammed into the backseat of Trouble's SUV. 

"Yeah, I know, but just come to the manor, okay?" Holly was saying, frowning as she held the phone on her shoulder, adjusted the mirror, and drove, all at the same time.

"Fine, but don't stay out too long…Right, see you later." She finally hung up.

"You do know that multitasking doubles the risk of an accident," Artemis said.

Holly smirked, "Uh yeah, and do you know what double of zero is?"

Artemis had to crack a grin, too. Holly was not known for her prudent driving methods, to put it mildly. But on the plus side, she hadn't ever had a core-diving accident to date, unlike some LEP officers who will not be named.

"Who was that, anyways?"

"My sister," she answered brusquely, now glancing through her email on her handheld computer.

"You have a sister?"

"Yes. What's so surprising?" Now, she was texting a reply with one hand.

"Nothing at all," Artemis turned his thoughts back to the attempt on his life. It was one thing to practically seek it out, with a plan at hand, as they had almost always done in the past. But to have someone else set a convoluted trap and to unwittingly stray into it— it was quite a blow, not only to his psyche, but also to his self-esteem. How could he have not seen this coming?

* * *

Not long after, Holly parked in front of large, square building built directly into the stone chute wall. She gained entrance with what Artemis deduced to be a laser fingerprint scanner. 

They walked into the large foyer clad in shining marble and gold rimmed chandeliers. The place was chock-filled by lavish rooms adorned with thick, regal carpets, gold rimmed antique furniture, and near every other luxury money could buy. It was, in short, magnificent. Artemis was dumbfounded; he had somehow never expected that Holly would own such a place.

"Go upstairs, find a room, whatever," she said, sounding extremely fractious. She walked, and somehow, Artemis followed, through a large doorway into a parlor where large portrait stood amidst the twentieth century luxury furniture.

It was an oil painting, a portrait of a young woman. She was beautiful, her copper colored hair falling in waves to her shoulders, and her honey-brown eyes framed with long lashes. She looked almost like Holly except the features were softer, more feminine, and the hair slightly lighter but those differences could be merely attributed to the painting style.

"Is that you?" Artemis asked.

She turned to the portrait, "No, that's my mother." Then abruptly, she added, "This is her house."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, she's dead so I guess for all intents and purposes, its mine," Holly seemed to be explaining this more to herself. She toyed with a little silver ornament on the mantle, "It still feels like she's here though. That's why I never go here. It feels like she's watching me, ready to tell me off."

Artemis gathered that Holly and her mother didn't have the best of relations, even when she was alive. It was too difficult to imagine why, especially not for a mind like Artemis's. He could almost picture the woman in the picture, a pedantic lady and Holly as the rebellious teenager. Artemis realized that it was none of his business but his curious nature got the best of him, "What was so wrong about your mother?"

"Nothing, except she couldn't accept anything that I wanted and that made me happy," Holly's voice got stronger, "This place was nothing but misery for me. All she wanted was for me to be the perfect daughter, get married to the perfect lawyer, and have a perfect life, the one she missed out on."

"What exactly do you mean?"

"The one she messed up because she got pregnant with me and my father, apparently, wasn't rich enough for her snotty family," Holly flared and Artemis took a few steps back in surprise. She continued, in a calmer voice, "I should forgive her by now, and I do, mostly, but I don't think I can ever forget that she almost ruined everything, for me. All because she never believed that I could be anybody better than her. She just didn't understand that things are different now."

Artemis couldn't think of what to say to this, a rare occasion, but then again, perhaps not so rare when speaking to Holly Short. But then he thought of the intolerant fairy council, of Holly's fiery desire to prove herself, the determined look and strong façade she would don, even nowadays. "And have things really changed so much?"

"No," she scoffed, "But you at least have to pretend that it has. Otherwise, no one will take you seriously. But you wouldn't get that."

"And why not?"

Holly pulled out the fine gold chain that hung around her neck, underneath her shirt. She showed him the tiny copy of the Book that dangled from it. "It's all tradition, really," she explained, "No one really reads it anymore— it's antiquated, too obsolete even for people like Cahertez. But I wear it anyways, because it's tradition.

"All this is tradition, too," she spread her arms to show the grandeur of her surroundings. "Of course traditions change, people change. But when it's something that's been for millennia, it's not so easy. Humans have it easy— everything is short, nothing permanent, everything versatile. But for fairies, there will always be people, like my mother, like Cahertez, who will never change, no matter what anybody does. There's no arguing with them, so in a way, nothing will ever change. But we pretend, anyways, because no one will ever admit otherwise."

There was an awkward silence that no one quite knew how to fill. Perhaps because everything she said was true, but it was a discomfited truth and suddenly, both yearned to change the subject. Artemis, abruptly empowered by a force even he could not name (perhaps jealousy?) said, as nonchalantly as he could manage, "So, you're dating Trouble?"

"Yeah," Holly sighed, "So now, even you know? Foaly and his huge mouth."

"You don't want anyone to know?" asked Artemis, amused.

She laughed, too, at the absurdity of it. "You have no idea how tabloid-worthy that is. Some people just have no life."

"Except to probe yours," he finished.

"Exactly," she said, laughing. "Stupid, isn't it?"

"Unbelievably," Artemis agreed, "Just last week, a competitor of mine for the Nobel Prize decided to put out a video ad portraying me as a child playing with his chemistry set. Imagine how juvenile that makes _him_ look!"

"Let me guess, the wonders of You-Tube?"

"Of course," Artemis scoffed. The conversation was entirely superficial, little witticisms and the types of catchy lines that they always used. As if to mask something. And they were, in a way, hiding behind a façade of quips, unwilling to say anything of real importance, of real depth. He wondered if they would always be this way, turning subjects so deftly and fleeing from the things they didn't want to hear with sarcasm.

It was incredible, he pondered, how after all this time, after so many life-and-death experiences that should have been— and was— binding, Artemis still knew so little about Holly and she, so little about him. All he had ever known of her was that she was a courageous LEP officer who better liked to follow her heart than her orders. There was hardly anything specific at all— he knew that she loved to fly, had a really good arm (personal experience), and wore a fine gold chain around her slender neck. He knew next to nothing about her life, the life she had away from him, and today, he had been fully shocked by what he was finally discovering.

But Trouble knew all about her family, knew to get her lilacs, not roses, knew exactly how she liked her coffee (two creams and a sugar), and had been the one sneaking out with her as a teenager, away from suffocating expectations. And for once, with the details of Holly's past all around him, Artemis was painfully aware of his own lack of knowledge, as if it were a terrible deficiency in his very character. Knowledge had always been what Artemis Fowl did best, and yet, he scarcely knew a thing about his closest friend.

* * *

Juliet may have been blonde, but she was by no means stupid. Although her intelligence did pale in comparison to Artemis's, in fairness, there was scarcely anyone whose intellect matched that of Artemis Fowl II. And she was curious by nature, curious enough to look further into Artemis's current hacking activities. 

A window loaded on the screen, and by the looks of it, Juliet could tell that it was the hard drive of a computer. Someone else's computer, of course.

As she scrolled through the contents of the file, which detailed various assets, stocks, property, and wealth in general of a certain man— a certain scientist, to be more specific. To be even more specific, it was a certain scientist who happened to a competitor for the Nobel Prize, against one Artemis Fowl.

Juliet laughed. So, Artemis was trying to hack a competitor's hard drive just for the fun of it, and perhaps to steal a few ideas, a bit of money, and to provide a little ego deflation service, of sorts. Only Artemis Fowl would do something like that, she thought, imagining his self-satisfied smirk as he relished the moment when another overly arrogant physicist discovered that he wasn't so smart after all. But then, a single word on the list of assets (and the number before it), stunned her.

Gold. And a lot of it— five tons, in fact. What kind of scientist has that much gold? Juliet wondered. And where does _anyone_ get five tons of 24-carat gold. It sounded so much like something Artemis would do that it was uncanny— gold is power. Yes, gold is power, Juliet told herself, that's why he has so much gold— for the same reason Artemis does. Surely it isn't _that_ unusual, among the insanely wealthy, anyways.

But even Artemis's gold stores had been feathered significantly (half a ton, to be precise), by a single source, a source that this scientist could not possibly be in contact with.

It couldn't be, Juliet wondered in amazement as she read that the scientist had received all five tons at the same time (coincidentally, the source was not named). But what if it was?

* * *

Just a few miles below the ocean's surface, bordering the south of France, was an underground facility. It used to be a shuttleport and was one of the many that was forced to close once humans evolved sufficiently to realize that they liked the beach, and decided to populate it with private homes and resorts. Nowadays, most of these shuttleports had been filled in with earth and completely renovated to appear as if it had never been there at all. But this one, for some reason, had not because the LEP's Internal Affairs had never ordered it to be so. (Perhaps they had overlooked the long-forgotten shuttleport, being distracted by other, more _interesting_ matters like trying to find ways to fire Holly Short.) 

Consequently, a small and secretive group took hold of the establishment and turned it into something far more volatile than a shuttleport: a weapons factory. According to the LEP's database, the building was supposedly bought by a private company and was being used as a spare warehouse and they were oblivious to the truth, of course. (Gold, if you have enough of it, can change any reality, at least in the world of official papers.) It wouldn't do for the authorities to discover what truly went on, barely below the human city of Nice.

As with all great schemes, there was one, single source behind it all. But for now, he will remain unknown, although soon enough, the entire underground, and later, the humans, too, shall know his name. And it wouldn't be for anything particularly pleasant.

And so, this entire order of events was orchestrated by this single fairy, who had secluded himself here a few years ago. Isolation is a terrible thing and the mind must focus on something in order to remain sane. This fairy wasn't particularly sane to begin with, but he did have an obsession— revenge.

The plan came together, slowly at first, and then break-neck speed. The appropriate people were contacted in secret and coerced into providing the bits and pieces necessary. And all the while, the LEP would notice nothing, until was all too late.

Oh yes, the capture of Minerva Paradizo was a setback, but the incompetent Council would eventually dismiss the probe incident as a lone occurrence, and would not pursue it for fear of losing their precious funds. Certainly, it was better to tell the taxpayers that, no, of course not, there was no problem; the ever efficient Council had taken care of it. He was certainly familiar enough with their priorities— gold, gold, and more gold.

And the failed assassinations were simply a bump in the road, after all; the targets would not escape unscathed this time, he vowed. There would be further attempts, and well, they could not run forever. Artemis Fowl II and Holly Short were destined to die and no one eludes their ultimate fate.

* * *

**Author's Note:** So, how was it? I hope it wasn't too out of character (I tried, really!), but it is really hard for me to write my own style (as opposed to _entirely_ mimicking Colfer) and still keep characters in character. Please, please, take pity and tell me how I'm doing so far! 

The poll I'm currently taking of pairings is still on, of course, even though H/A is kicking butt, with something like 20 to 3. And feel free to make suggestions. Ooh, and this week's challenge is guess the villian! I gave you a few good clues, it shouldn't be terribly hard from here. First one to guess correctly gets...a virtual cookie? Or at least the ultimate ability to influence my decision on what happens later on in the fic...sound powerful enough?

And, while writing the next chapter, I have to admit, I have realized that I suck at romance. Loads of people write AF romance on this site, and if anyone wants to offer a few suggestions...please? With whipped cream and a cherry on top?

Anyways, please be nice enough to review, and to creatively motivate you, I'll say this: Reviewing is like voting- it only takes a few seconds and gets your opinion heard, and yet so few people do it. (In fact, in 2004, more people voted for American Idol than for president. Stupid, no?) So, if you review, it would consequently make you the smarter 30 percent of the American population! (Not saying much, but still...) Review, and vote, everyone!

Cheers,

Lily


	4. Downtime

**Disclaimer: **No one in this fic is mine, except for Mariana and Steven Moreau, whom Colfer doesn't even want...

**Author's Note (Please Read):** First of all, thank you to everyone who reviewed because thanks to you guys, I am now up to 34 reviews! Incredible, for me.

Also, I'm sorry that I didn't update last week, as was promised. I was on Harry Potter Fanatic mode, and reread all the previous six books in four days, before reading Deathly Hallows. But now, I'm done with that, and I've come to terms with...sniff...the deaths of two of my favorite characters, so back to the writing board it is!

And, this chapter, well, not really revelvant to the plot. If you aren't a big fan of romance and backstory and whatnot and all the things that fanfiction writers like to add to their fics, even if it's completely unrealistic and it means pausing the whole plot for a chapter or two, then maybe you'd prefer to skip this chapter. But I have a feeling that on this site, most readers like the other stuff better than the plot itself.

And finally, many apologies to my H/T readers (all four of you who reviewed) because at this point, it is very, very clear that A/H will be the winning ship. Besides, the first person to successfully guess the identity of the villain is an A/H shipper and she's been promised that it would be. But as a consolation prize, you can insert within this chapter the H/T smut of your choice- I'm not good at writing romance anyways. Just pretend it's there.

Without further ado, here's the chapter:

* * *

**Chapter 4 Downtime **

Later, when she was alone, Holly looked up and studied her surroundings. It was strange, even to her, who'd grown up in this place, to see this world that she had left behind so long ago. Because, now her life was divided into two parts and they weren't ever supposed to meet. Her then-friends, and her now-friends. Her old clothes hung in a revolving closet in her room here, all lovely dresses, pretty skirts and blouses, and proper slacks and blazers, but her new clothes, jeans and sweatshirts and tees, were in her apartment downtown. Back then, she was Miss Holly, and now when she was Major Short. They were the life she inherited and the one she chose and made for herself.

This, this was where her mother's memory lived. The new life, among the halls of Police Plaza, in the bustle of downtown Haven, was where her father had lived. It was where she felt good; it felt like, in some strange way, that she belonged, even if she was a girl— perhaps because it was the life that her father and her one-time idol, had wanted so much for her. But when she left the manor for good, she had left her mother behind. Because she could either have the life her father chose for her or Camellia's. So she chose.

Her father's world was easier— all cut-and-dried, written in black-and-white. There were no gray areas, no doubt, no uncertainty, and so unlike her mother, whom Holly had never quite understood.

But as she sat on the bottommost stair of the grand staircase, staring up at the two stories above her, she wondered it she made the right choice. Sometimes, there was no right choice, only loss, both ways. And maybe that was a lesson she had to learn, whether she liked or not. Especially now, as the lines were blurring.

Her thoughts were broken by the door opening, revealing Trouble and Mariana. Holly stood up quickly.

"Hey, Holly," Trouble kissed her on the cheek. "How's it going with the mud boy?"

"Not as bad, you would think," Holly answered, "Any updates?"

"I wish," Trouble shook his head, "Here's the problem: Foaly figured out that the technology footprint on the emails is definitely the fairy brand, and that it comes from somewhere in the vicinity of the Paradizo residence, but beyond that, we don't know. Foaly hasn't figured out how to get further than that, yet.

"Well, at least we know the general area. That's something," Holly said.

"Sure," Trouble answered, "but we've still got no idea who exactly it could be. And right now, I've got no idea what to do next except be prepared for the next attack. Which will probably happen, given how much effort this person clearly put into setting that trap on you."

"Hey, cut out the serious-talk, just for tonight, why don't you?" Mariana interjected. "Come on, Holly, I want to show you my new oil painting."

Giving Trouble an apologetic look, Holly followed her sister to where her canvas lay, near the doorway. The painting was beautiful as always, even Holly could tell that, despite the fact that she knew absolutely nothing about art. It depicted a picturesque sunset over the hills of Ireland, the ocean just visible over the horizon, the sky a vivid blend of extremes.

"It's beautiful," Holly whispered, wishing she were there.

"Isn't it amazing?" Mariana gushed. "It's totally different from anything I've ever done. Realism mixed with abstract colors, you know."

"It's incredible, Mari," Holly laughed, "I don't know how you do it. It's like all your talent came out of nowhere. I couldn't draw if my life depended on it."

Mariana laughed too, but it was bittersweet. It wasn't easy, after all, trying to best your older sister who'd saved your entire civilization more times than could be counted on one hand. "Well, you'd better like it. It's going to be your birthday present."

"Have you had dinner yet?" Trouble laid a hand on Holly's shoulder.

"Not yet," she answered, turning around.

"Then let's go," he said, "I know a great place downtown that you'd love."

"Where have you gone that I haven't?" she asked suspiciously.

"Okay," he admitted, "You got me. I went there for some political advice over lunch."

"Trouble," Holly started.

"Come on, then," he interjected, "Let's talk over dinner."

"Fine," Holly agreed, and started to follow Trouble out. Mariana was a bit miffed, "Wait…you two are seriously going to leave me alone with _Artemis Fowl_?"

Holly and Trouble glanced at each other and simultaneously said, "Yeah."

"What are you, afraid of him?" Holly teased her sister. "Besides, it's a big house. And go out, if you want, whatever."

"To clubs downtown?" Mari grinned, daring her to disagree. Holly hesitated; her sister may be quite mature and a college student, but she was still too young to gain entry to many of the more…_exciting_…clubs in Haven's city center.

"Go anywhere," she finally said, "But it better be legal. And if you get caught on a DUI or something, you are _so_ dead, it isn't even funny."

Mariana giggled, "Why, because the tabloids will write it up?"

"I already get enough trouble from the press as it is," Holly warned, as she and Trouble left. "See you later!"

Mariana watched them leave, thinking of all the nightclubs she could drop in on without being caught. For the time being, she busied herself with carrying her canvas and a duffle of her stuff to an empty room. It looked like she and Holly would be here for a while yet.

And that Artemis Fowl— she only knew as far as Holly had told her and that wasn't much, given that much of it was classified, anyways. Not that it mattered, to Holly, anyways, but mainly, Mariana got the idea that the secrecy was more from her sister's personal embarrassment. She had long suspected that her sister liked the mud boy much more than she should, but would probably never admit it.

Mariana reached the room at the end of the second floor corridor that had once been hers and deposited her things. She studied the place. It hadn't changed much, considering that she hadn't lived in the place since her teenager years. She was also amazed to discover that much of her things were still in her drawers and that made her think of the little diary she had as a teenager. But it wasn't in its usual spot hidden underneath the school notebooks.

"Looking for this?" Artemis sat comfortably, tucked away in a corner of the room, on a large armchair, unnoticed until now.

"Give me that," Mariana reddened at the thought of the contents of the volume and snatched it away. "You shouldn't take other people's things without permission."

"So you are Holly's sister," he said, his probing blue eyes scrutinizing her in a way that was thoroughly disturbing, "pleased to meet you."

"And you must be Artemis Fowl," she said, frowning, "What are you, anyways, a kleptomaniac?"

"You are thinking of Mulch Diggums," Artemis smiled, contemplating the less than courteous dwarf and his certain _bodily_ talents.

"Who?"

"You haven't even heard of your sister's PI partner for a year?" Artemis knitted his brow.

"No," Mariana said, turning away and resuming the organization of her possessions, entirely undisturbed. "Actually, I didn't see her for more than three years, thanks to you."

Artemis frowned. This pretty, young fairy was more like her sister than he'd thought; both had the talent to make him feel guilty with just the tone of their voice and a few choice words. He returned defensively, "That would actually be the fault of Minerva Paradizo."

"Oh, your girlfriend," Mariana said off-handedly.

Artemis fumed— why did everyone assume that she was his girlfriend? Had he really been _that_ obvious? Besides, it was of no consequence; he had only been a foolish hormone-stricken teenager in those days. "She is not my girlfriend and never was."

Mariana turned to him, smirking smartly, "Not according to Foaly."

Couldn't that centaur _ever_ keep his mouth shut? Artemis wondered. "Foaly says many things, most of which are the creation of his own distorted view."

Mariana laughed, "You have a point there."

She reached into her duffle bag and pulled out a pale blue spaghetti-strap dress with a short, silk faille skirt. Mariana twirled it around herself, grinning, "Like it?"

Perhaps she isn't so much like Holly, Artemis conceded to himself, and remarked, "It is rather revealing, isn't it?" given that it was backless and extremely short.

"What are you, a total prude?" Mariana scoffed at him, "_Everyone_ wears nano-minis nowadays."

"Where are you going, anyways?" Artemis asked, now studying the latest issue of _Nature_.

"Club-hopping," Mariana told him. By her tone, you would've thought that he'd asked what color the sky was. She glanced at his magazine, (which happen to boast a cover photo of stem cells), and remarked, "You really don't know what fun is, do you?"

"Hacking into large corporate funds is extremely diverting," Artemis argued, "I would certainly consider that to be_ fun_, as you say."

Mariana giggled and shook her head. "Too easy," she said, "You just proved my point."

As the room fell silent, Artemis considered her for a moment. Mariana was certainly pretty and her lively attitude was surprisingly reminiscent of Juliet's. And, he reasoned, she would know Holly very, very well. For those reasons, Artemis blurted out, almost unintentionally, and certainly impulsively (a trait very unlike his normal personality): "I was wondering— what does Holly like?"

Mariana eyed him suspiciously. "Well, well, I guess a supposed criminal mastermind is no different from any other guy, as arrogant as they generally are." By the tone of her voice, she sounded almost disappointed, as if she had expected better. "Like her, do you?"

Artemis found that he couldn't answer that question truthfully. Thankfully, and rather unfortunately, Mariana did for him. "Be just like every other guy on the planet, why don't you?" she snapped, "Is there no end to this madness?"

With those lovely parting words, Mariana flounced out of the room, leaving Artemis thoroughly bewildered to the ways of teenagers.

* * *

Meanwhile, as Trouble's SUV negated the sharp turns of Haven's more _colorful_ districts, Holly was bursting to have her own choice words on the subject of politics heard. However, Trouble was less than eager. 

Finally, he looked up and said, "I suppose there isn't delaying it any longer, so, shoot."

"Trouble, don't you dare run," Holly warned him, "You don't know a thing about politics and I can tell you, it's all just smoke and mirrors. You won't get through a single race without spinning like crazy with analysts at every fingertip. It isn't worth it."

"Holly, what's it to you if I want to try?"

She sighed, staring at the diamond-lined sapphire at her ring finger. It glinted in the soft candlelight, but its shadowy depths were unrevealing. On her right hand, that was— he hadn't proposed yet but it was sure to come soon and when it did, she wasn't exactly sure what she would answer. "Trouble, I've already got the press at my doorstep, with all this Artemis Fowl business, and now dating you. It's only going to get worse if you run."

"Hey, it's me that's running, not you," Trouble pointed out.

"But image is everything," Holly shook her head, "And I seriously doubt that I'm beneficial to your political image. And I can't make myself be, Trouble, nor will I."

"You don't have to," he laid a hand on hers.

She pulled away, "That's what you say now. But whether you like it or not, that's the way it's going to be, and…it just isn't fair. It's not fair to me and it's not fair to you."

Trouble sighed, too. This was really something he wanted to do and Holly was turning this into an ultimatum. And he couldn't choose. He had waited so long for Holly and there just wasn't any other choice.

"There's still time, Holly," he finally said, "A lot can happen in another year or two, and for the time being, it really doesn't matter. Can't we just forget about it, and have a bit of fun tonight."

"Fair enough," she agreed, smiling in spite of herself.

"Come on," he said, grabbing her hand, "Let's go somewhere exciting."

A several hours and few nightclubs later, the two were at Trouble's downtown apartment. It was neither not nearly as large nor as comfortable as Holly's childhood home, but she was extremely relieved to be away from the suffocating memories of that place, at least for a few more hours. As Holly drifted between consciousness and sleep, her head propped contentedly against Trouble's shoulder, she thought about all that had passed between them.

They had been friends forever, ever since she was just a little girl, a kid fascinated with her father's young protégé. From what she knew, Trouble's family had not had much money, so unlike her mother's old-money ancestry, and her father had provided him with the funds to pay for college. As teenagers, they had developed a fast but passionate romance that had culminated in him asking for her hand in marriage. She refused, angry that even he, one of her closest friends was as intent on getting her married as her mother. But Holly's mother had died soon afterwards and Holly has promptly left Haven to finish school in another city, eager to escape from the city she'd spent her entire life in. When she returned, their reunion had been an awkward one. But slowly, and surely, they became friends again.

Soon after she returned from Hybras, Holly was in her downtown apartment, musing over the events of the past few weeks. It had really gone by so fast, and so much had changed. Mariana was living at her dorm in college and Foaly and Caballine were really getting serious, Trouble was commander. It was as if the whole world had moved on, passed her by and she was still left, standing alone.

As Holly was just getting to leave for work, brushing her short curls into a untidy ponytail, the door rang. It was Trouble.

Ever since she had been a teenager, their relationship hadn't been quite the same but now it was more awkward than ever. Trouble stood in the doorway strangely, as if waiting for something.

"Come in," Holly offered, but he just shook his head. All of a sudden, he sunk to his knees, and took out a beautifully crafted gold ring, saying, "Holly, will you marry me?"

At first, she was just stunned but then she laughed and took his hand, pulling him up. She said, "Trouble, don't you know, when you haven't even seen a girl for three years, you don't just ask her to marry you! Marriage isn't the beginning of a relationship, for goodness sake; it's the twenty-first century!"

"But I love you, Holly. And you have no idea what I've gone through these three years, not knowing if you were alive…" he said, stepping closer.

"If you'd known me at all, or Artemis, you would've known that we'd be back. Have a little faith in me, Trouble. Sometimes it seems like nobody does."

"I've been waiting for you, Holly. God, I've waited and waited all these years. I waited for you when you left the city for school, I've waited for you to get out of the academy, and I've waited for you to come back, Holly. I've been waiting for so long, I don't want to wait anymore and I don't know why you do."

Holly sighed, "Trouble, I've waited, too. I waited all my life for my chance at doing at doing something I really loved. And I was lucky enough to get it and I'm not giving it up, Trouble. I'm not that kind of girl and you know it."

"I know, but can't we at least try?" he took her hands.

"Yes," she said. He leaned forward to kiss her but she placed her finger on her lips. "But slowly. Talk first, make-out later. We're not kids anymore, Trouble."

And so they got together. They slowly began going out on dates, real dates. And Holly really liked it, she truly did, but now, a couple years later, there was only one more step to take and she wasn't sure if she was ready to take it just yet.

* * *

Steven Moreau awoke suddenly in his villa near the French city of Nice, where he lived alone. The son of an American consulate stationed in Paris and a local corporate scientist, Steven had chose to pursue his father's career and had recently returned to the country of his birth after spending most of his life in the States. He was, however, a much more successful scientist than his father had been. In fact, he was a highly esteemed biophysicist, second only to one Artemis Fowl II, and had been nominated for this year's Nobel Prize. 

Of course, no person can attain such achievements without extreme intellect and Moreau was no exception. But as always, having a certain amount of wealth was also an excellent recommendation for many things, even such a high honor as the Nobel Prize. For Moreau, this wealth was gold, and it had been attained in an extremely unique way.

Over the internet, there are many forums in which the various members of the scientific community can communicate with each other, offering advice and correspondence. Moreau had been in contact with a certain reclusive scientist via an extremely high-tech sort of video communicators that the scientist claimed to have developed. As successful as the communicators proved to be, the scientist required assistance with a weapon that utilized an unique energy source— pure light.

Moreau had never been one to refuse a challenge and so he quickly developed certain improvements for the scientist, which he shared, in return for five tons of twenty-four carat gold. It was an extremely good deal, he now thought, given that he had only taken a matter of weeks on the scientist's dilemma.

But as with all good deals, there was a catch. The weapon, Moreau had found, was most certainly illegal. It was so incredibly destructive and effective that even the military would not think of using such a weapon, let alone of it being the possession of a civilian scientist. Moreau regarded himself as highly law-abiding, and decided to send an email to the UN Security Council, informing them of all he knew of the weapon and the civilian scientist. However, he did choose leave out his part in the improvement of the weapon, and the fact that he had received gold for his services.

So now, Moreau rested with a clear conscience and rose to admire the beauty of the Mediterranean Sea outside his window. The scene was of such pleasure to him and so diverting from the many other issues on his mind that he did not even notice the figure that had crept up behind him. He barely even noticed when a cold metal thing was pressed to his head and by then, it was already much too late. The silencer worked well and not a single person would report the death of Steven Moreau for three days.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Yes, I always have to leave you with a cliffie. But don't despair, if you give me, say another ten reviews, another chapter will be up in no time at all. It's almost ready, after all. 

Also, aren't you just wondering who killed Moreau? Tell me in your reviews, and win...I'll think of something. This is your last chance, because after the next chapter, it's going to be pretty obvious.

Please, please review and make me very happy? Pretty please with a cherry on top?

Lily


	5. Unsavory Conclusions

**Disclaimer:** Nothing is mine, except for Mariana, and she only makes a _very_ brief appearance this chapter anyways.

**Author's Note:** Hey guys, I'm back, and with a new chapter that's like 9 pages long (even though my last chapter only got 6 reviews...sniff...). And you'll be getting a lot of answers in this one, and I suspect that by the end, A/H readers will be particularily pleased...

Also, congrats to those few who correctly guessed the villain- it'll be revealed for sure in this chapter. Plus, pay attention, because there's a few very important plot details in there...

**

* * *

Chapter 5 Unsavory Conclusions**

The next morning was a blur as what seemed like a mountain of memos came through the networks. Holly had barely gotten dressed when Trouble called, already at the LEP. "Holly, the girl is up and kicking."

"Minerva?" Holly asked, as she pulled on some jeans.

"Yup," Trouble confirmed, "And she's firing mad, too— yelled at me about some email and some conspiracy plot or the other. I've got the records, but you've got to see it for yourself."

"Right," muttered Holly, buttoning her blouse. "How's Foaly doing on the trace?"

"It's confirmed— there is no human technology anything close to the type of explosives that were used. There's a fairy behind this somewhere and a pretty smart one, too, given they got past Foaly's defenses to hack into the Scopes hardware. By my guess, Minerva is just a pawn in whatever plot this is."

"It just keeps getting better and better," Holly groaned as she grabbed a jacket.

"How long are you going to take, Holly?"

"At least another fifteen minutes," she guessed, "Why the hurry? It isn't really that urgent, for now, is it?"

"Well, it is in the sense that Foaly is getting more annoyed at the hardware by the second, so _please_, hurry up and save me before he totally blows."

Holly laughed. She could imagine how fanatical Foaly would be, given that he still hadn't much of a lead on _who_ actually permeated the supposedly impermeable satellite. "Right, I'll be over ASAP."

"Oh, and bring the mud boy," Trouble added. "I have a feeling we're going to need him."

* * *

Artemis and Holly was a tattered-looking pair as they entered Police Plaza. Artemis was still dressed in his Armani suit that had only narrowly escaped annihilation, and needless to say, it showed. Holly, meanwhile, hadn't had time to retrieve her clothes from her apartment and settled for her old clothes— jeans long ago smuggled and a dark blazer that was once part of a school uniform. 

But attire was the least of their problems and they were harried with a barrage of memos almost as soon as they entered the ops booth. And not to mention— Foaly's wrath:

"Holly, how long can you possibly sleep? It's already seven and Trouble and I have been working our butts off for ages already!"

"And to no avail?" she retorted irritably, downing a cup of coffee. "Besides, now, you know why I never take the early morning shift."

"For goodness's sakes, stop bickering and shed some light on the situation, why don't you?" said a very frustrated Artemis.

"It's like this, mud boy. The technology is definitely not human, so we know there's a fairy behind this somehow. But this fairy isn't just any guy on the street— he's got to have real clout, to be able to get weaponry like this," Foaly explained. "Minerva's probably also got some part in the whole scheme, so I'm guessing that she has something to say, if you can press it out of her, Holly."

"But your trace hasn't been successful?" Artemis rubbed his temples.

"I can only go so far with this, Artemis. I know the emails were sent from somewhere near Nice, since the satellite was probed from there, and that's supposing that it was the sender who probed it and not Minerva after all. But after a certain point, there isn't much to trace," Foaly defended his technology. "But it isn't machine failure, that's for sure."

Artemis pondered this for a moment. "Have you tried comparing the explosive to LEP weaponry? If the LEP is anything like human militaries, then their technology would far surpass any of the civilian brands, legal or illegal. If it matches, or is of a higher level, then it would be certain that there is infiltration."

"Infiltration within the LEP?" Foaly repeated incredulously, "That's impossible."

"Foaly, it's happened before, remember?" Holly pointed out. "Run it, already. And add some clearance scans, too, because I'm guessing that the average lackey doesn't have access to this sort of thing."

"Fine," Foaly agreed, typing a binary code into his ergonomic keyboard. "But this could take a while. Holly, you should go and try to press something out of Minerva."

"What about me?" Artemis asked.

"Come with me," said Holly, grabbing his hand. "You are going to be bait."

* * *

As soon as Holly walked in to the room, Minerva was prepared, settling her glasses (they happened to have reflective lenses) on the bridge of her nose, and said, "You are not going to use that _mesmer_ on me." 

"Mmmh, and you know about _mesmer_ how?" Holly asked, acting perfectly nonchalant, as compared to Minerva's evident edginess.

The French girl glared at her. Minerva tossed a strand of golden hair behind her ear, her ego clearly undented by the unnerving experience of regaining consciousness in a foreign environment. "I won't tell you— not until you tell me why I'm here."

"But wouldn't you know that already?" Holly raised one eyebrow. She gave a passing glance through the glass at Artemis, whom she had placed in a prime position, in hopes that Minerva was still smitten with him, therefore being guilted into answering truthfully.

"Who are you looking at?" Minerva caught the glance.

Holly shrugged casually, recognizing a possible ploy. "Your boyfriend."

"My boyfriend?" Minerva was not convinced. "_That_ is a blatant lie, considering the fact that I don't have one."

"Then you wouldn't be too interested in Artemis Fowl's life, would you?" That hit home.

Minerva considered it. Clearly this fairy girl had figured out that she still had a grudge towards the Irish child genius. But how could she have? And besides, the way the girl was staring at her with such unmasked disdain caused an unexpected flash of guilt to hit her. She had been unknowingly giving information to a source that could very well be extremely dangerous, almost killing innocent victims. What had she done?

Although Minerva had nursed her bitterness towards Artemis for some time, she had never done a thing to him before. She had never even talked about it, for goodness sakes, except for those emails…but those were a different matter altogether. She decided to feign innocence. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Then consider this: Yesterday Artemis and I were almost killed while tracing a probe that can be traced directly to the south of France, where you happen to live. The evidence on your laptop says that you were emailing an unknown source about exactly the type of explosive that was used against us. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Minerva was stuck. She _had_ mentioned Artemis in the emails. She took a breath, seeing no way out and decided to cut her losses. "Fine. I was behind it. But not in the way you think— I never mean to hurt Artemis. I didn't even set the trap or incinerate the explosive! All I wanted was to be superior to him, to outwit him, and I was going to. That's why I helped develop the technology, with what I knew of the fairy brand to steal that Nobel Prize from beneath his over-inflated ego."

Holly almost burst out laughing, prompting Minerva to snap, "Well, do you have to _laugh_ at my great plan?"

"All you wanted was the Nobel Prize?" Holly could barely believe it. "And I thought you were involved in some deadly plot or the other. Ah well, I suppose you geniuses don't do evil— just egotistical."

"Okay, number one— it's genii. Number two— _I_ am not the egotistical one; that would be Artemis Fowl." Minerva retorted, thoroughly annoyed.

"Right," Holly rolled her eyes. "And that just leaves one thing— your accomplice. He must be the one who probed scopes and planted the trap. Who is he?"

"You mean, the one who's been emailing me?" Minerva paused, wondering how to explain this. "I don't know who he is," she finally answered. "I tried tracing the emails but it didn't come through. And I thought he was just a reclusive scientist protective of his inventions, so I collaborated with him. He sent me what he had and I improved it, significantly, in fact."

"What exactly did he send you?" Holly asked, all of a sudden realizing that Minerva didn't know a thing about fairy technology except for her little demon experience. So how had she not only successfully replicated it?

"A really advanced form of explosive— even I didn't recognize it," Minerva admitted. "It was incredibly clean— no emissions, no damage to the environment at all, just a clear blast of energy, annihilating every living thing in its way.

"Oh, shit," Holly breathed, suddenly realizing that this whole affair was much graver than she had previously thought. The fairy technology wasn't Minerva's brainchild; so, it must be a fairy who was emailing her, under the pretense of being a secluded human scientist. And the original weapon was indeed as Foaly had suspected— a simplified version of the bio-bomb. And weapons as deadly as that were _never_ in the hands of civilians, and not even a hint of it had been so far spotted on the black market. Artemis had been right after all— they had infiltration.

* * *

"Let me get this straight," Foaly asked, somewhat skeptically. "This mystery sender, who ever it is, decides to steal a simplified version of the bio-bomb, email the logistics to Minerva Paradizo for her to improve, and then use it to try and murder you two." 

"Yes," Artemis and Holly said, simultaneously.

"This means I was correct," Artemis went on, "Bio-bombs are only ever in the hands of LEP, so whoever this fairy is must be or have been part of the LEP. And bio-bombs are used extremely sparingly, so only an officer of a certain level would have access to it?"

"That's right, mud boy," Foaly nodded. "Level Eight clearance only."

"Which includes?"

Foaly frowned. "Level Eight is as high as it gets. That includes the commander and a few extremely high level majors, but even then, in order to actually use a bio-bomb, the application must be sent to both Internal Affairs and the Council for approval."

"Yes, but how many people could actually acquire the…instructions to make a bio-bomb, for lack of a better term?"

"That's top secret information," Foaly told him. "As in, you would have to ask me."

"They couldn't simply be an extremely apt hacker?" Artemis raised one eye-brow.

"Not unless they were, say, a top level IA official, and do some lying and say they needed it for inspection or some elaborate plot like that."

Holly and Artemis exchanged looks at this, and knew that they were thinking of the exact same person. Holly said, slowly, "We do know one former top-level IA official who would really like to kill us."

"You mean Sool," Foaly was still skeptical. "I know you hate the guy, Holly, but that doesn't necessarily mean he wants to _kill_ you."

Artemis was silent for a moment. The reason for his wordless contemplation was an email that had just arrived on his laptop screen. It was from Juliet and labeled "Urgent! Artemis, Read This NOW!" Artemis quickly scanned the text, and more importantly, the attachment. When he finally spoke, it was cautiously, "Foaly, I think you need to see this."

Foaly glanced through the email that had just arrived at his computer. Again, he couldn't mask his skepticism, "So a guy has five tons of gold. That doesn't automatically mean he has a connection to us."

"But it's not just a guy— it's a scientist, a biophysicist. And a highly prominent one at that," Artemis countered, "In fact, he is a competitor of mine for this year's Nobel Prize, the one whose hard drive I happened to be hacking before you contacted me. This must be where Juliet got the information."

"And what if, this scientist, Steven Moreau is a pawn in the plan, just like Minerva?" Holly said excitedly. "What if he was bribed with the gold to help improve that bio-bomb?"

"Exactly," said Artemis, "This is just too much of coincidence. Or rather, as Butler says, there is no such thing as coincidence."

"I suppose it's possible…" Foaly conceded.

"Well, then we know several things about the perpetrator already," Artemis listed, "That he is or was employed by the LEP and had at least a Level Eight clearance, that he has particular motive to kill us, and that he had to be in possession of at least five tons of gold."

Foaly ran the information through the LEP database. A few seconds later, he said, "Well that narrows it down quite a bit, mainly down to Council members, and IA. So there's four possible remaining: first match, Cahertez."

"Not likely," Holly shook her head. The Chairman of the fairy Council may be corrupt, but he wasn't about to hatch a plot to kill her.

"Lope?"

Again, she refuted this possibility. Lope had been a close friend of Julius Root's and what seemed like the lone voice of reason during the Fowl Manor siege.

Foaly paused at the next name, prompting Artemis to say, "It's Sool, isn't it?"

"Well, yes," Foaly conceded. "But there is one more possible suspect— Major Vein."

"Not a chance, Foaly," said Holly, smirking at her clear victory. "I've known Vein for years, and he is one of Trouble's best friends, after all. Admit it already, I was right: It was Sool who planned this whole thing."

"Yes, but he must have a headquarters, of sorts, where he managed to do this…" Artemis mused, searching for the next piece of information they desperately needed. "Foaly, can there be any abandoned building underneath the Nice area that might have slipped through the cracks?"

"There are no cracks in my system," Foaly snapped defensively.

"Explain all those missing shuttle parts and softnoses a few years back, then, Foaly," Holly retorted. "But why Nice?"

"Well, if we're assuming that there is only one place from where the probe and the email came from," said Artemis, "then it must be there, unless Foaly's trace is faulty."

"Which it is not!" Foaly interjected.

"Then we are looking for a building within, say, a hundred mile radius, with high manufacturing and processing capabilities," Artemis concluded.

"Well, most of stuff there was closed down ages ago, when we pulled out of that area," Holly told him. "A lot of it was self-destructed, but there's still the shuttleport."

"But that's out of operation, too, remember?" Foaly said. "Around 1920, I remember, I supervised it myself."

"Is it possible that someone could have seized it since then?" Artemis contemplated. "Especially factoring in the fact that Sool has an excess of gold at his disposal and I would suppose, a lot of clout over IA, even then."

"Yes, I suppose so," Foaly sighed.

"Check the emissions in that area over that past year or so, Foaly," Artemis said, "If the amounts match what would be needed for a bio-bomb-type-explosive, then that shuttleport will be our target."

Foaly tapped out several commands on his ergonomic keyboard, grumbling all the while, "Foaly do this, Foaly do that…"

And then the results of the scan appeared on his monitor. The emissions were incredibly high, certainly enough to create the average bio-bomb and much more besides.

"How could this have been overlooked?" Holly exclaimed, "This is a major national security issue if no one knows what they're producing there."

Looking incredibly frustrated, Foaly pulled up another file on the Nice shuttleport. "Impossible," he said, "After the shuttleport was closed down, it was supposedly just used by as a spare warehouse by a power cell manufacturer. There is no way that there could be so much emissions coming from a warehouse."

But Artemis had different ideas, "Is it possible that they're actually manufacturing the power cells in that building, instead of just storing them?"

"Not legally," Foaly shook his head, "Even if it's properly sealed, the shuttleport is too close to the surface, the emissions can leak and the humans might be able to spot it."

Scanning the data about the power cell company in question with intense concentration, Artemis finally said, "Pull up the information about the stock shares on that company."

"Why? What does that have to do with…?" Foaly protested, but did it anyways.

Upon one look at the file, Artemis smiled in victory, strongly resembling a vampire. "I knew it: Ark Sool owns 24 of the stock shares in that company. He'd have quite a lot of pull over what's done in that warehouse and more careless investigators would have just wrote off the emissions by assuming that the warehouse was also used for production. Smart, very smart. Of course, he would have to be, to have such a vast scheme left unsearched for this long."

"So he's planning something," Holly concluded, "Something much bigger than a ham-handed murder attempt. Three guesses to what _that_ might be."

"World domination," the three responded simultaneously. "_Again_."

* * *

Holly strode briskly to the doors of Police Plaza, where Trouble was waiting. It was their routine: on Friday nights, they'd meet up after work and go for a bite to eat and a movie. Sometimes their shifts would overlap but this was the one time a week when they had promised they would definitely keep open for each other. 

But a familiar voice called her back, "Holly."

She turned around to see Commander Vinyaya at the other end of the hall. Reluctantly, she made her way back, asking, "What is it? There isn't an emergency, is there?"

"No, I wanted to talk to you about something," the commander steeled herself.

"Go on," Holly toyed with her electronic keys as she waited.

"You see an awful lot of Trouble Kelp, don't you?" she finally said.

"Yeah," she said, wondering what this could be about, "But if this is about the tabloids, I can't say…"

"It isn't," Vinyaya replied firmly. "This is about your, um…relationship."

Holly swallowed. In all her years of knowing Vinyaya, she had never once mentioned any man, well, romantically. For goodness sakes, she was practically a nun.

"Before you say anything, I do know all about it, whether I choose to say anything or not…"

"Foaly," Holly grit her teeth. That gossipy centaur couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"Holly, any idiot can see what's going on between you two," the commander said brusquely, "even the idiots on the Council."

"Oh!" she reddened. The fairy Council was not known for their tolerance. In fact, Holly suspected that they had only kept her on so long because of Julius Root and the fact that she was more like the average recon jock than some male officers, namely Grub Kelp. "Uh, I'm sorry?"

"But that's not it, Holly," she went on.

"Then what, Commander?" she groaned.

Vinyaya blushed as well. "You do know that he's thinking along the lines of, er, commitment?"

"Uh-huh." It was exceedingly clear that a proposal would come any day now.

"Have you thought of what to say?"

"Actually, no," and it was the truth, too. For some reason, she had steered away from the subject even in her thoughts. It was, somehow, too much to even ponder.

"May I offer some advice, then?" Holly stared. Vinyaya and romantic advice was the equivalent of Mulch striking up a friendship with the Ba'wa Kell.

"I'll take that as a yes," she said and went on, hurriedly, "Holly, you're still young. I know you like him but you must think very, very carefully about this. A move like this could have huge ramifications on your career, especially if the tabloids are correct. You must have your priorities about you."

"I do!" Holly argued. No one had _ever_ accused _her_ of being boy-crazy. Mariana, maybe.

Holly wanted more than anything to ignore Vinyaya and tell her that it wasn't going to happen, she wasn't that kind of girl, and that her assumptions were insulting. But she found that she couldn't quite say that honestly.

Instead, she studied the commander, her mentor, her childhood heroine. She saw the choice that Vinyaya had surely made, many, many years before: the choice between love and duty. All the other Council members were married, but not Vinyaya. There were rumors of an affair years before, but not anymore. And she saw the choice that she herself had made, her own declarations that had as good as made her a stranger to her own beloved mother. And she realized that she was fighting the same fight she had proclaimed to be over the day Camellia Short died, fifteen years ago.

"Holly, I understand what you're thinking but I must say: This is about more than you. You saw Lauren, how she looks up to you, so much, because you're indisputably the first whose made it this far. Remember how you felt at her age. Remember what you were lucky enough to have. What happens if you blow it? I'll tell you what: the Council will get it into their heads that all of you girls come to the LEP for nothing more than to get married and collect a pension from their precious vaults. So then, what happens to Lauren and the others like her?"

"No…" She didn't want to believe it, though it sounded just like the cold sexism of the Council.

"Yes," Vinyaya affirmed, "I know these people. I've worked with them, making compromises for years, the same way you've worked with Artemis Fowl. I know what triggers them and this is definite. They cannot stand anything that makes you even the slightest bit feminine."

"It isn't fair."

"Of course it isn't," she spat, "It never was, and you know it. But it's the way of the world and we have to play by the rules if we want to change them. You know that, too. Countless times I've looked out my window and seen you training hard, too hard, to beat the standards that weren't made for females, trying to be as good as the big boys. It isn't right Holly, and you and I know that. But not many others do, and you can't expect them to cut you any slack."

Holly knew it was true. She remembered, too, trying so desperately to catch up to Trouble, as a child, not believing anyone when they said she couldn't. She recalled trying to be the son her father had always wanted, and making a fierce attempt to prove her own worth to the Council. It hadn't been easy, but she had made it, much of it by her aptitude in flying and perfect accuracy. They were the few areas that she could match the males bigger and stronger than her at. And she had, she had played their game, gotten so far on their turf and beat the odds, all for the belief that when she did, she would be their equal. But still, all they could— or would— see was a girl.

"So?" Vinyaya prompted.

"I won't give it up," she said softly, "I haven't come this far to give it up, Commander. You can be sure of that."

"But you won't give up with him, either?"

Upon those words, Holly started to walk away, more infuriated than she had ever been with Vinyaya. There she was, telling her how to live her life. Just before she pushed the open the doors of Police Plaza, she heard the Wing Commander's voice behind her, "Remember what I said, Holly."

* * *

Having read all the files he could find about Sool and his connection to the Nice shuttleport in Foaly's database, Artemis sat cross-legged, and prepared to meditate. It was his custom when he waited for that one crystal clear wave of brilliance to pierce through the mire in dire situations such as this. And some might call him arrogant, but after all, he had reason to be— Artemis Fowl II had never failed yet. 

During this process, complete peace and quiet is preferable. Thankfully, by this hour, most of the LEP had returned home, leaving Police Plaza empty, except for the wretched few who had pulled short straw to be on this shift. However, there was more on Artemis's mind than just the scheme that was brewing behind those azure eyes.

As if his cell phone had read his exact thoughts, it vibrated, signaling that he had a text message. It was a number that Artemis didn't recognize, but as he opened it, he immediately knew the identity. It began:

_Hey genius, sorry I lost my temper with you earlier. You probably figured, but it sucks when half the guys in the world are in love with my sister. It's like they say- it's not easy to shine when you stand next to the sun. But you should know this- Holly likes you, even though she shouldn't. So if you still want to know… _

* * *

Vinyaya's words only turned out to be far too true, for Holly couldn't stop thinking about it. She couldn't tear it from her mind all that night, no matter how romantic a dinner Trouble had planned for them. All through the night night, she couldn't help but remember those words, so harsh but so true. And midst the quagmire of thoughts, one person kept swimming to the head of it all— Artemis. 

The higher-ups could say that Holly was fascinated with the mud boy, even "emotionally attached" to him. And that would all be true, too, in a way.

She did care about him, in a way she didn't quite understand herself. Perhaps in the beginning, Holly simply attributed it to pity, pity for his broken family and the responsibility one has to shoulder at a young age because of it. She knew that sort of circumstance all too well.

And with time, they became friends, as strange as it may seem to the Council with their age-old prejudices. And that eventually became somewhat acceptable because of the value those connections had proved to be. But there was still something there, something far more condemning than fascination or pity, or even friendship and it is not so easily brushed away.

This whole affair, anyways, the actually caring so much (in that way) about someone was unnerving. Holly had never been boy crazy as a teenager, had a few minor crushes, and that was all. And certainly, she had never pined for a boy, never drove herself to pieces because he wouldn't notice her, or anything like that. It sounded weak, like something Lili Frond would do (if she was not of royal blood and extremely pretty, that is).

For the most part, anyways, the boys were driven to her, by her casual beauty. She wasn't glamorous, like Lili, but she was pretty enough, in a uniquely striking sort of way. But Holly generally liked to ignore the infatuated classmates, considering them silly and well, she never truly liked many of them. Of course, for some dances and school functions and such, at her friends' insistence, she would go, like most of her peers, with a date, usually handpicked from the masses. He would have to be tolerably good-looking, considerate, and of course, witty.

But Trouble was entirely different from all of those "boyfriends" of her teenage years. He was her best friend, and their close friendship had simply melted into romance, in the way that many do. He was amazing, surely the best guy any girl could ever wish for: clever and brave and those chiseled features that could even make uppity girls like Lili swoon.

And that's why it scared Holly so much that she was actually, finally falling for someone, after all these years of pretending. Because, she now knew what it felt like to be in love with a person wholeheartedly and not just pretending for the sake of prom or winter formal. Funny how if you tell yourself that like is the same as love, you start to actually believe it. But the truly frightening part of this realization was that, as amazing as Trouble was, she never felt this way with him.

"Marry me, Holly," Trouble whispered then, sinking to his knees at her feet. He held the most beautiful ring Holly had ever seen, even though her mother had had many. Because, this one was really for her, this one was from Trouble.

She remembered all the good times they had together: as friends in their childhood, as teenagers sheltering a secret love, and now, finally reunited. She looked into his chiseled countenance, his long locks of dark hair falling into his pale grey eyes. She recaptured what it felt like to have his hand in hers, their first kiss, and the many memories they had shared. But she also remembered Vinyaya's words.

Holly thought of how determined she had been to make in a male's world and how angry she had been when her mother stopped fighting for what she knew she deserved. She saw Lauren's youthful face in her mind's eye and imagined her disappointment, and how it would feel to do to another, what her mother had done to her, breaking her wings before she could even fly.

And she thought of Artemis.

"I'm sorry, Trouble," Holly finally said, her voice soft and breaking, "I can't."

She turned away from him, unable to face the consequences of her actions, and fled, tears framing her vision for the first time in years.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Once again, very sorry to those H/T shippers- I hope you'll still keep reading. I promise I have a decent ending planned? 

And yes, the villain is Sool, which I was surprised to find that it wasn't as predictable as I thought. Only a couple people got it right. I always thought he was such a perfect future villain. I didn't want to invent an OC to play such a big part, and Opal is way too overused, and I always thought Spiro was too shallow, so that left Sool.

So...be really ncie and review? I might be more motivated to write if I got, say, ten more reviews...please? I will you with my...supreme authoress powers...to press that pretty blue button on your left...

Cheers,

Lily


	6. A Spot of Trouble

**Disclaimer:** I only own Artemis Fowl in my wildest dreams, and since I'm not writing from my custom-built Connecticut home, this isn't it.

**Author's Note:** To everyone who reviewed, thank you so much! And, I am so sorry about the lack of updates lately— I've been insanely busy with some AP work, plus my orchestra auditions which are this week. Wish me luck.

Besides, this chapter was a bit slow, filler really… kind of hard for me to write. It still feels like there's something missing, but I'm having some trouble (just like the title) coming up with some decent lines to break up the monotony. But I promise that the next chapter will be way better than this with some serious action... or at least, I hope.

But enough talk, see for yourself:

* * *

**Chapter 6 A Spot of Trouble**

Within Police Plaza, there is a department called Internal Affairs that just so happened to be Major Holly Short's least favorite department. Of course, the despicable Ark Sool was no longer presiding over it, nor was he even part of the LEP at all, but the overall attitude of the group hadn't changed.

Usually, the current department head Joshua Palm, and his cronies amused themselves by putting _suspect_ LEP officers through tribunals until they'd somehow committed perjury and got themselves in dangerous legal waters. They were like sharks, and the lowly officers were little minnows, just waiting to be caught— not for necessity, but for sport.

But on the menu today, was a tedious Council meeting— not in the least bit amusing, but necessary if IA wanted to keep their badges and their paychecks.

"I assume the LEP will need extra budgeting for Trouble Kelp's mission," Cahertez sighed, glancing at his papers. "The way that boy spends gold is incredible; at this rate, he'll drain all our funds."

"But sir, we still have about fourteen tons of gold at our disposal for this fiscal year," Vinyaya pointed out, in very _innocent_ voice.

"There are other matters that need to be addressed, Vinyaya," Cahertez fished, "such as tunnel renovation."

"You did that last year."

"Well, then, what do _you_ suggest, Vinyaya?"

"Why don't you give Foaly more funding?" Vinyaya suggested amid gasps all around the table. Giving Foaly funding was akin to giving a black hole its lunch— a definite no-no by Council terms. Using extra gold to feather retirement funds and stock options was a far more popular idea. Vinyaya quickly defended herself, "What? He's always whining about it and I'm tired of hearing it."

"Ahem," Palm and his fake cough chimed in. "Let's not get off topic. Now, Chairman, just how expensive is this mission?"

"Let's put it like this, Palm," Cahertez bleated, "It's even more than we pay Foaly."

Once again, gasps all around. That was a pretty hefty sum considering that Foaly was, after all, indispensable and his demands, however ridiculous had to be met. Cahertez continued, "And after all, what use is this mission? Surely it's not worth so much gold? I'm tempted to pull the drain."

"The life of your most invaluable and one of the highest ranking Recon officers is at stake," Vinyaya pointed out.

"Yes," the Chairman replied quite indifferently, "the girly major."

"_And_ Artemis Fowl believes it to not be an isolated incident, but part of a larger plot, most likely involving a former Internal Affairs director Ark Sool."

"And we trust a human, why?"

"Chairman, do you have short term memory loss?" asked Vinyaya smoothly and perfectly politely, "Or perhaps senile dementia?"

Cahertez glared at her for a moment, and then replied pointedly, "Perhaps a certain Councilwoman is afraid that she might be wrong about a certain mud boy?"

"Why should we doubt him, now?" Vinyaya argued, "He's done so much in the past."

"Let me ask you a question, Vinyaya. Why do _you_ trust him?"

Vinyaya knew what he was getting at by then: He was trying to pin her down to the trust of a certain female officer's judgment, a fact that he could use to his advantage later. It was so often like a game, politics, except that you were playing for your seat and your career. "Major Short trusts him and I choose to believe her. Are you implying that you don't trust your own LEP officers, Chairman?"

"I'm saying how trustworthy is Holly Short? She certainly isn't one for rules and I'm tempted to deny the funding request for this mission."

"This mission is by Commander Trouble Kelp's commission," Vinyaya pointed out.

"And he's not fooling anyone— he's covering for his girlfriend, clearly," Palm scoffed. "This deal is wholly based on the assumption that Holly Short knows what she's doing."

"The officer who saved all of us half a dozen times doesn't know what she's doing?" Vinyaya raised one eyebrow, tilting her fountain pen in her hand just so, a picture perfect photo-op for the press. The cameramen in the balcony took it— anything even slightly related to the crazy girly captain was golden.

"You will admit, won't you, that Ms. Short has a certain soft spot for Artemis Fowl?"

"What ever do you mean, Chairman?"

"_You_ know that she maintains communications with him, even when not strictly necessary, which is illegal, by the way. I have obtained a few very revealing recordings if you'd like to hear."

"Without a warrant, that is also illegal, Chairman."

"Nothing important," Cahertez waved it aside, "The point is that Holly Short is known for inappropriate dealings where this mud boy is involved. And _you_ give her free rein without the approval of the Council— which is also illegal, by the way."

"I'm sorry, Chairman," Vinyaya blinked innocently, "Do _you_ have an alternative?"

"What?"

"A different plan, one not involving Holly Short and Artemis Fowl not in collaboration— which seems to be what you're getting at," Vinyaya suggested. "I'm sure you have an alternate proposal for us to deal with the threat at hand swiftly and efficiently?"

"Uh, no, not at this time, no," Cahertez admitted.

"Then for the purposes of this meeting, there is nothing more to contribute, is there?" Vinyaya grinned, and addressed the room. "I assume you've all read the complete report that Commander Kelp has filed? Yes? Right, then, all those in favor of funding this mission, raise their hands, please."

Four out of seven agreed, the other three being Cahertez and his cronies. Vinyaya smiled, "Fine, measure passed. The earmark will be added to this year's appropriations bill. Meeting officially adjourned." To Cahertez, she said, "I love a moderate majority, don't you?"

* * *

On the outskirts of Haven, Holly Short procrastinated. She lay in bed, trying not to think of the moment when she would finally have to get to work. Even now, the morning after, the weight of what she had done still hadn't completely sunk in yet. She had turned down Trouble, broken his heart. And crushed it and stomped on the pieces, again, like Mariana would say. And what for, exactly? 

Okay, Holly told herself as she got up reluctantly and stumbled into the shower. You have a good reason, surely. But a small, defiant voice in the back of her mind whispered, or is it just because you like to run away from commitment? No! Her other side replied just as strongly, I have my reasons, and they're perfectly logical…

Deftly scooping her still-wet hair into a ponytail, Holly finally made her way downstairs. On the kitchen counter, she was pleasantly surprised to find a grande-sized coffee, ice cold and topped with an extravagant amount of whipped cream, just the way she liked it. A brief note that lay beside it read:

_Coffee that doesn't taste like coffee. Very interesting, though surely extremely unhealthy. I can only imagine how many calories and how many grams of polysaturated fat that thing must have. How you manage to keep such a trim figure with two of those every day is beyond even my supreme intellect._

_-Artemis_

Holly grinned, seeing the perfectly neat signature. Ah yes, she thought, that's why.

* * *

A bit of swift driving and an innate knowledge of Haven's alleys and back roads allowed Holly to be just barely on time for the official briefing that was taking place this morning. It was silly that they even had to put up with this meeting, especially given that the IA, the entire Council, regional commanders, and majors would be there. But Foaly had imprudently given this mission a red alert rating, prompting the still skeptical Council to call for this formality. 

Tentatively, she walked into the room and realizing that Trouble was already there, she took her seat as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, she was generally seated next to Major Vein, one of Trouble's best friends.

"Uh, hi," she said, feeling more uncomfortable than she had ever been in this room, even counting all the times that the Council had singled her out to harass. In return, Vein gave her an extraordinarily cold look; clearly, Trouble had wasted no time in telling his friends about the night before.

Needless to say, Holly was thoroughly relieved when Foaly finally arrived and started the meeting. "Now, to business…if you'll all turn to page five of the documents I've given you…"

Foaly quickly highlighted the details of their discoveries yesterday and told the Council, "So, for these reasons, I've put together a special team for this mission," he winked at Holly, "which will include Commander Trouble Kelp, Major Holly Short—"

"No need for that," Holly, and nearly everyone else in the room were extremely surprised to see that it was Trouble Kelp who interjected. "I'll just put together a Retrieval team to surround the shuttleport and neutralize the threat."

Foaly stared as if not believing his own eyes. When he finally recovered, he said, "With all due respect, Commander, it won't be that easy. By the emissions that have registered from my scans, Sool's got something seriously dangerous in there. This mission will need to be tactical, and Retrieval isn't known for its dexterity, if you catch my drift."

"I'm sure a Retrieval team will be sufficient, Foaly," Trouble completely ignored the centaur's arguments. "This meeting is over."

"No, it isn't!" Holly stood up, unable to contain herself any longer. "If you have a problem with working with me, then just withdraw from the mission. But don't you dare risk the safety of Haven on your personal vendetta. Stop acting like a ten-year-old, for goodness sakes."

The room went incredibly silent as its various occupants exchanged glances. The Council members whispered comments to each other that Holly felt sure was condemning her effrontery or something of that sort. She said, in a calmer voice, "I'm sorry, but Foaly is right, and I don't think a Retrieval team is enough to neutralize the threat."

"Yes, well," Foaly said, "And moving on…according to the analysis of Artemis Fowl, we will require the standard LEP equipment for three, a full arsenal of…"

"Precisely _who_ will be involved in this mission?" Cahertez demanded.

"Major Holly Short, Commander Trouble Kelp if he chooses so, Artemis Fowl, yours truly, of course, and Fowl also requests Juliet Butler."

"Another human?" Cahertez raised one eyebrow. "Are you sure that's necessary? I'd prefer to cooperate as little as possible with these mud men."

"Look, Chairman," Foaly said, getting quite annoyed. "I think you'd better note that Artemis Fowl was the one who got us out of all these messes and if after all this time, you can't trust his judgment, then who can you trust?"

"The pony has a point," Vinyaya said quickly before Cahertez could retort. "Besides, I thought we already decided this at yesterday's meeting? Couldn't we just sign the documents and get it over with?"

"Why, do you have somewhere better to be?" Cahertez grumbled as he grudgingly signed the paper that Foaly passed to him.

"Yeah," Vinyaya muttered under her breath as she scrawled her signature as well, "I, unlike you, actually _have_ a life."

* * *

With the meeting adjourned, Holly rushed for the exit as swiftly as she could, to avoid being cornered by one of Trouble's friends. She left so fast, in fact, that Foaly, who was trying to catch up with her, was left desperately struggling in her wake. 

"Holly!" he called.

"What?" she retorted curtly, whirling around. "Oh, it's you."

"What was going on in there with Trouble?" Foaly asked as he finally managed to get to her.

"We broke up," Holly answered, reluctantly. "Last night."

"It's really that bad, huh?" Foaly shook his head. "No way could anyone have seen that coming. You two were the perfect couple."

"Yeah, that's what everyone says," Holly sighed, "but…"

"But what?" Foaly pressed. "How could you two have broken up, just like that?"

"Look," Holly muttered, turning away. "I don't want to talk about it right now. And we have to go; we have to launch this mission as soon as possible."

With those parting words, Holly strode away briskly to find Artemis, who was now nearly the only person who didn't know about last night's fiasco.

* * *

Artemis stared once again at the shuttleport blueprints that Foaly had printed out. It was built on solid bedrock, therefore inaccessible, even by Mulch Diggums's incredibly powerful jaws. It could, however, be penetrated by a very careful laser incision, though that would be difficult. Many of the built in security measures could be turned off by LEP remote, but no doubt that Sool had many of his own incorporated as well. And they had no possible knowledge of something like that. 

Of course, the entrance leading aboveground had long been caved in, so there was only one current entrance still in operation, the shuttle docks. Artemis highly suspected that Sool would be expecting their attack to come from that way, therefore that path would be filled with traps. So, they needed another way in.

It would be an exceptionally difficult mission, Artemis pondered. Their best chance was to have a few people go in first to find out exactly what obstacles they faced, security-wise. But that could be highly dangerous and might end in capture, something they could scarcely risk. And yet, there was no other way to know for certain exactly what they were facing.

If they could somehow find the center of this operation, though, and simply turn off the power feeding this entire system, their way would be clear of any security measures. But that required a certain amount of risk, too, as something so important would be extremely well protected.

Just then, Holly entered, interrupting his thoughts. "How's the planning going?"

"Not well," Artemis conceded. "It'll be risky."

"When has your plans ever _not_ been risky?" Holly asked, rolling her eyes. She glanced over the documents that lay on the table, and half sighed, half grinned, muttering, "Only one way in, huh?"

"Yes, that's the root of all problems," Artemis said, running a hand through his dark hair. "And the fact that we have no idea what additional security measures we're facing."

"Yeah," Holly agreed. "Foaly's tried tracking the purchases made by Sool, or anyone related to this shuttleport for ideas, but they were smart. They've erased just about every footprint they've left, and besides, it was likely the only bought the parts and manufactured the defenses themselves."

"There doesn't happen to be a control center in this building, I suppose?" Artemis asked.

"There was an air traffic controller's station, up here, once," Holly pointed. "But I doubt that Sool would make it so easy and keep that center."

"I'd expect there are guards all around this place, given the fact that it's quite large and Sool can't be in on this alone," Artemis muttered more to himself than anyone else. "Suppose we used _mesmer_…"

"Sorry, no _mesmer_," Holly said, "Not on fairies, anyways. The Atlantis Convention outlawed it ages ago."

"And there are no exceptions?" This was a serious drawback. "Not even for a attempted murderer and his cronies?"

"Well, I suppose there could be," Holly shrugged, a wry grin on her face. "That is, if _you_ want to read the four hundred page clause, argue it through about four years of court proceedings…a few picket lines… fire-breathing politicians…"

"Point taken," Artemis smirked in spite of himself. Suppressing the urge to laugh, he stared at the blueprints again. He had a plan, but it was extremely precarious and had so many unknown factors…there had to be a better way…

"When are we leaving?" Holly asked suddenly.

"What? So soon?" Artemis tore his eyes away from the documents in surprise. According to plan, they had at least one more day to prepare before mounting the mission.

"Well, we've got the funding, we have the equipment ready," Holly ticked off on her fingers. "We can leave today, pick up Juliet on the way, and mount the operation tonight. That is, you do have a plan ready, don't you?"

"Of course," Artemis admitted. "But there are an incredible amount of variables…"

"Well, we won't know any more until we get there," Holly reasoned, shrugging nonchalantly. By her demeanor, you would've thought that the pair were planning a rather exciting outing instead of a mission that could drastically shorten their lifespans. "It's not like we have anything better to do."

* * *

It was rash, of course, the way they were going about this, and everyone knew it. But there was no other way, for the time being, Holly told herself. They would go up, get a scope of precisely what they were facing, and then call in back-up if needed. And they would probably need it, in the form of a certain flatulent dwarf. 

But, even if she wouldn't admit it aloud, there was certainly another reason she was insisting on going so soon: Trouble Kelp. As much as Holly had tried to ignore his pointed comments this morning, she just couldn't stand even another moment in his vicinity. Even so, she felt like she was tracing the same path, over and over again— after all, they had been here before. It was a vicious cycle, of friendship, of romance, and then of barely knowing each other.

"We're ready to go, Foaly," Holly said into the mikes. They were in one of the few LEP stealth shuttle for special operations. After all, if they were going to be in peril, they could at least go in style, in the form of a dark, sleek shuttle also conveniently undetectable by any ray, human or fairy, (plus excellent lounger seats, in-flight satellite TV, and internet access…). Besides, they would almost certainly need all the protection and surreptitiousness they could muster, to barge into a highly protected compound with little knowledge of the specifics.

"Alright…" Foaly typed in a last few keys, preparing to lower the shuttle into the service chutes. His eyes were carefully glued to the center screen of the three-paneled monitor, where the ongoing launch was currently taking place. But just then, it was only too clear that all the action was taking place elsewhere.

At the insistence of a thousand screeching alarms in chorus, the centaur barely had time to peel his eyes away from the shuttle before all went black. Needless to say, chaos ensued.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Yay for the cliffhanger! So what did you think? It wasn't too boring, was it? 

Did you like the coffee part? That was completely unplanned- it just came out but it seemed perfect, just subtle enough. And for background info, it was so the work of Mariana. Remember that helpful little email?

Anyways, please, please review and make my day. I'm so excited about the next chapter but I'm still extremely busy and I've got no idea when I can write another four pages, proofread, and post the whole thing. Maybe if I get lots of reviews, I can find a bit of spare time...please? If I'm really happy, maybe this will even come before PSAT practice...

But seriously, review! It's not that difficult, just press the pretty blue button to your left. Please?

Lily


	7. A Little Adventure

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anyone except for Mariana and Lauren, who aren't exactly being smart this chapter. Actually, they have no sense! (Yes, I know I wrote them that way, but I still think they have their own minds.)

**Author's Note:** I'm back! Thanks so much for all the reviews- it was amazing to get all this! I never thought I could get so many people to read my amateur story. So, you guys are going to be treated to some action- and a romance moment- in this chapter. And just certain people being stupid, resulting in more action...but you have to read it to believe it:

* * *

**Chapter 7 A Little Adventure**

Mariana lounged on her bed in her sister's downtown apartment, thinking. It was summer vacation and as usual, she had absolutely nothing to do. Nearly all her friends were out of town on holiday, and the boredom was getting a stupendous level. Of course, Mariana had _overheard_ Holly and Trouble discussing this plan of Artemis's, and naturally, wanted in on all the excitement.

Mariana knew exactly what Holly would say if she knew what her younger sister was up to right at this minute— she would be angry, extremely angry, to understate it. Yeah, sure, she only wanted the best for her little sis, but sometimes it was incredibly suffocating. Or maybe it had just been too much time under some supervision after the months of doing whatever she wanted, even if it was just the supervision of someone barely older than herself. Whatever it was, sometimes, Holly could seem so unbearably like their mother, only with a quicker temper.

The younger girl put on her sister's old LEP vest and in the pocket, found exactly what she needed: Holly's access card. It was the old one, the Captain one, before she quit, started the agency with Mulch, got lost in a time tunnel for three years, etc, etc. But maybe, Internal Affairs had forgotten all about it and had never deactivated it. Mariana even knew the code, too, though Holly would never believe her. Whatever, thought Mariana, an adventure is an adventure.

Before she dashed outside, though, Mariana pocketed one more thing of her sister's— an old Neutrino 2000.

Almost exactly as Mariana's hands closed around the gun, the city-wide alarms went off, as if Haven itself knew the unorthodox doings of an officer's mischievous younger sister. But no, this was something far more serious.

Mariana dashed outside as quickly as could, and that wasn't very fast. But she did get out of the apartment in time to see the blast doors closing at the edges of the city, and to hear the intercom system spouting, "City emergency. Haven under lockdown. All Council members and LEP officers and affiliates report to Police Plaza immediately."

Oh great, Mariana thought, there goes my great plan. Then, she thought— ha, affiliates! Well, I'm affiliated, kind of. Giggling at her own cleverness, she dashed across the street and into the Police Plaza.

Inside was a full-out frenzy of personnel, all dashing about, wondering what was going on. Mariana, in Holly's LEP vest, blended in amid the crowds and found her way down a hall, where the Council Chairman Cahertez was surrounded with questions. Everyone was rushing about, and completely overlooked a diminutive girl with an expired access card.

Foaly pushed his way through the crowd, "Chairman! Holly's just taken off and you need to restore power to the supply tunnels so she can get through."

"Chairman, what's happened?" Vinyaya asked, fighting her way through the crowd as well. Foaly filled her in, "There was a probe, Vinyaya! It didn't quite hit Haven, but it was close enough to be a serious threat. The technology extremely futuristic and near untraceable…"

"So you can't trace it?"

"Well, I said _near_ untraceable. That means untraceable for anyone but me…"

"Foaly, keep the ego down for a minute, won't you?" Vinyaya retorted, extremely annoyed. "Well, then, Chairman, it seems we only have one course of action."

"Which is?"

"Send down anyone who's needed and launch the mission immediately. We don't need a trace to tell us that this is most likely the work of Ark Sool and we have no time to do a reconnaissance. It has to be now."

"Ah, yes, of course," Cahertez covered himself. "In the meantime, we must take every precaution underground. But who should we send aboveground to assist?"

"Send Major Vein, Chairman, he's competent. Let him take his squad and have Trouble Kelp lead the group," Vinyaya urged. Cahertez whispered something in a low voice but Vinyaya said loudly, "Chairman, you must restore power to the chutes, now!"

Cahertez rolled his eyes but immediately ordered a techie to do as Vinyaya bid. The Council members walked back to their conference rooms, in deep conversation. Foaly frowned at his handheld computer and attempted to run his trace. Mariana, meanwhile, decided to discreetly follow the Council members. In her haste, she ran into a blonde girl.

"Watch where you're going!" Lauren said, turning around. She frowned at the supposed Recon badge on Mariana's vest— as far as she knew, Holly Short was the only other female in Recon. "Who are you anyways?"

"Uh, Major Holly Short?" Mariana attempted fruitlessly. She looked a little like her sister, but the differences were only too obvious.

"Uh, yeah right," Lauren snorted. With reflexes as quick as lightning, Lauren grabbed the girl's wallet out of her jean pocket and studied Mariana's school ID. "_Mariana_ Short, huh? Nice photo."

"Fine, you win," Mariana conceded, "I'm not really a LEP officer, just a college kid looking for a thrill, 'kay? Just don't tell my sister."

Lauren's answer was drowned out by Foaly, yelling across the hall to Cahertez, "Chairman! Artemis wants Mulch Diggums to be sent below ground now."

"The convict?" Vinyaya and Cahertez said simultaneously, poking their heads out of the conference room door.

"Yeah, and you'll need to arrange transportation."

"Why, have they left already?" Vinyaya asked.

"Are you kidding?" Foaly snorted, "Holly's driving at full speed and it's already been five minutes since you gave her the okay. She's got to be at least a few hundred miles away by now. And Trouble Kelp is almost done assembling his team and they won't wait for a convict."

"Well, the convict is not driving himself," Cahertez said. "Who knows what he'll do with the vehicle? Remember what happened to that last shuttle he 'borrowed'?"

"I'll drive him!" Lauren perked up. Truth be told, she was yearning for an adventure as well. The Chairman shrugged, giving the okay, muttering, "Why do I care who drives that foul dwarf?"

Mariana grinned, seeing her way in. She surreptitiously followed the older girl through the halls of Police Plaza, but not furtively enough, evidently. Lauren swung around and snapped, "You are not following me."

"Uh, right, and why do you get all the fun?" Mariana flipped her dark curls.

"Uh, because I'm the _real_ LEP officer?" Lauren replied sarcastically.

Mariana rolled her eyes. "Listen, I'll cut you a deal. I'll do anything you want, as long as it doesn't involve endangering my life, _if_ you let me come with you."

Lauren considered it. "_If_ you go and get Mulch Diggums."

"Who's Mulch Diggums?" asked Mariana suspiciously.

"Oh you'll see," Lauren replied, unable to repress a laugh as she waved her card across the scanner, accessing the shuttle docks. "Or rather, you'll smell."

* * *

"What was that?" Artemis asked, as he settled into the copilot's chair. Holly glanced behind them, at the shuttle docks whose lights had abruptly faded into total darkness just moments ago. Now, they were reappearing, though it was with a more subdued glow than before. As if he had heard Artemis's question as well, Foaly's face appeared on the screen before them. 

"Well, it's official, Holly," he reported, "Sool means business. Haven just got very nearly missed in a probe and I'm almost entirely certain that it's his work."

"What do you mean 'very nearly missed'?" Artemis asked suspiciously.

"I mean a super-sensitive detection ray of some sort was sent towards the city," the centaur explained. "It just barely grazed Haven as it passed. This is no coincidence. Sool knew it would show up on my scanners— this is a warning."

"So the city is under lockdown, I expect?" Holly asked, glancing over her monitors.

"Of course," Foaly nodded.

"And that is exactly what he wants you to do," said Artemis, "This way, we will be cut off from Haven without additional supplies, should we need it."

"Well, that won't happen," assured Foaly. "The Council's agreed to launch this mission immediately. Trouble Kelp and his retrieval team on its way, right behind you, and last I heard, Lauren's going to drive down Mulch for you."

"Now?" Artemis looked extremely alarmed.

"Yes, now," Foaly rolled his eyes. "The power is restored to this chute for now to let all of you through and then it's back to full lockdown. And then, we initiate the plan as quickly as possible. That is, you do have a plan, don't you?"

"Yes, of course," Artemis quickly recovered. But inside he squirmed. Why did everyone expect him to be ready with a fool-proof scheme at any given moment? This was just supposed to be a recon mission, and now he was supposed to be able to muster up the logistics to invade a building he had not seen, to bypass defense that he did not know of? It was perfectly insane.

But how could he say this aloud? He was Artemis Fowl— brilliant, ambitious, and infallible. Failure, or even a quiet admission of failure, was simply unacceptable.

* * *

The duo arrived at the fairy shuttleport in Tara in just under four hours— a record speed, in fact. The number of times a person can throw up in the space of two hours may have been another record broken, though, this one, by Artemis Fowl. 

"Is the speed really necessary?" Artemis choked out as he stumbled out of the shuttleport, casting his eyes around for Juliet in the crisp green landscape before him.

"This is an emergency after all," Holly said, struggling to suppress a laugh. "Besides, we're rendezvousing with Lauren and Mulch in Nice in about two hours. We're on a tight schedule, Arty."

"Do you realize that the earth's radius is nearly 4000 miles?"

"So?"

"So that means that if we postulate Haven to be in the inner mantle, you still went more than 700 miles per hour!" Artemis stuttered, gulping down a bottle of water.

For a moment, despite the heat of the August day, time seemed to freeze as Holly lifted her head from rummaging in her bag. Artemis was suddenly involuntarily fixated on the way the sun lit upon the copper highlights within her auburn curls, the way the outlines of her face was bathed in dramatic shadow. Her eyes, a mystic array of golden brown, speckled with flecks of brilliant emerald green, paused upon his, as well. There was something almost magnetic, unbreakable about what had passed in that single, silent moment.

"Mmmh, pretty fast," Juliet commented, nonchalantly, suddenly appearing at their side. She shrugged a duffle bag (presumably stocked with Butler's weapons) over her shoulder, and said, "So, are we going or what?"

* * *

Mulch Diggums was not a particularly clean dwarf. Actually, the entire idea of a sanitary dwarf is a complete oxymoron, especially given that the creatures tunnel in dirt all day. Of course, Mulch was no longer a dwarf in his tunneling days, and he was certainly not a typical dwarf, actually managing to stay on the right side of the law for more than a minute, and counting. But judging by the hygiene of his office, this was not wholly evident. 

Mariana Short, of course, also knew cluttered; neither her sister nor she was much for housework and their apartment frequently reached a level of disorder that made opening any door a hazard, given the piles of clothes, books, and various items that would surely collapse at even a slight disturbance. But the state of the kleptomaniac dwarf's office was a sight that managed to bring out disgust in even the most disorderly college student.

She carefully negated something that looked suspiciously like a mold infested sock, a tuna fish sandwich that looked as if it could be resurrected and star in its very own horror movie, and several stacks of papers in various states of disarray, each coated with a substance that most would rather have remain unidentified. Never had walking ten feet seem like such a trial.

"How's it going," Mulch said in greeting, knowing barely enough about manners to take his feet off the top of the desk.

"Um, fine," Mariana lied. Keen to get out of this room as soon as possible, she passed him a slip of paper, and said very quickly, "Foaly has a message for you."

"About that false alarm earlier, huh?" Mulch muttered, wondering what he should ask for this time in exchange for his dubious assistance. Whatever it was, Holly and Artemis must be in real trouble, sending this girl to get him instead of calling him themselves. The dwarf eyed Mariana suspiciously, "What did they send you for? You look too young to even be one of the donkey's slave/intern things."

"Actually, I'm Holly's sister," she admitted. "It's a long story. If you want to negotiate, I can't help you. I was just sent to fetch you so they can do this mission thing they've been planning. So, what is it— are you going to come?"

Mulch snorted. As much as he always liked to fake his hesitancy while participating in these missions, he would never actually refuse. For one thing, it gave him a reason to flaunt his bodily talents and hang his services over the LEP's head, sucking a few extra ingots and decent benefits from them. Besides, there just might be a teeny tiny part of him that enjoyed being a part of this save the world agenda that Artemis and Holly had going. And of course, there was always the chance that if he refused, Holly might just slug him until he agreed. The girl did have a mean left hook.

"Fine, let's go," he said. "Where are you parked?"

* * *

The Nice area and the south of France in general are very popular vacation spots. In fact, in Paris, around August, most locals flee the city with their mandatory five week vacations, leaving the tourists to take over the city for the more than a month. A great majority of them spend that time in Nice or Marseille, or if they are truly affluent, abroad. But at any rate, nearly all of them leave their respective cities in summertime; even their newly elected president, Nicholas Sarkozy, is currently vacationing in the United States. 

Artemis & co. have hardly fled Ireland to have a relaxing Mediterranean retreat, but nevertheless, they found themselves in the wildly popular city of Nice, if for vastly different reasons.

It was only by pure luck that the fairies of ancient times did not choose the beach for the locale of their shuttleport. If they had, it would surely be enclosed with resorts by the twentieth century and completely inaccessible in current times. But even despite the fact that it was situated about twenty kilometers inland on the slopes of the Alps Maritime, its business still did not survive unnoticed for much longer. However, the old entrance to the shuttleport had survived the test of time, albeit with a collapsed layer of soil covering the disguised entrance, and in the summer, was covered nicely with brush, so its current visitors were left unnoticed by holiday-making Parisians.

But naturally, that was the least of the problems of Artemis, Holly, and Juliet as they milled around the concealed entrance, wondering what to do.

"So, what we just go in? What kind of plan is that?" Juliet asked incredulously. "You're supposed to be the genius."

"Well, we're to wait for Mister Diggums who should be arriving shortly," Artemis checked his watch, glancing through the skies. The dwarf and his chaperone were supposed to exit at the Swiss shuttleport on the opposite side of the Alps and fly the rest of the way, despite Mulch's protests.

"Yes, but what's the plan, Artemis?" Holly rolled her eyes. "Don't you think we ought to know before we rush in there blindly?"

But her words were interrupted by a rather strange couple appearing from thin air: a small, blonde elf with mechanical wings and a dwarf attached to her belt. Well, that is to say that it would have been strange to any newcomers, had anyone else been on this particular mountainside. But to the motley group assembled here, it was absolutely ordinary.

Lauren promptly freed Mulch from her Moonbelt and took off again, uttering just a few words, most of which turned out to be a lie (though no one could've known it at the time), "Gotta go, Foaly's got me on a tight schedule." And off she went, vibrating out of visibility, becoming a slightly blurry part of the cloudless sky.

"So Fowl, you always pick a nice locale, huh?" Mulch said, grinning at the ocean view in front of them, framed by blue sky and white sand. "But I got to say, the soil in the Alps is a bit rocky— try Bordeaux next time. All those wineries make for great soil."

Artemis rolled his eyes. "Look, Mulch, all we need is for you to dig a hole through this collapsed entrance until you hit some metal, laser through, pan around, and record whatever you see on this iris cam. Almost no risk at all."

"Almost?" Mulch raised one eyebrow.

"There's only a slight chance that Sool might notice a laser carving in his wall and shoot you is what he means," Holly clarified.

Mulch chortled. "So what am I getting for this then? You can't play the amnesty card anymore."

"I could play the do it or I'll kick your butt card," Holly said.

"A dozen bars of gold, Mulch," Artemis offered. "From me, not the Council."

"It's that dangerous, huh?" Mulch remarked as he surveyed the mountainside. Only something that truly merited it could force Artemis Fowl to hand over even a slim portion of his wealth.

"Well," Artemis said, "I am filthy rich, in a manner of speaking. It's hardly a noticeable fraction in all the wealth I've accumulated through stocks and physics speeches."

Holly studied him for a moment and then said, "No, it's just really dangerous. Good luck anyways."

But before she could push him into the collapsed entrance, something that a human would mistake for a cell phone ring tone went off. Naturally, all four people present checked their respective devices. Holly pulled out her fairy communicator and found Foaly's face plastered across her screen.

"Foaly," she exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't Haven still on lockdown? Why—?"

"Holly, it's urgent," he said immediately. "And personal," he added, glancing at the other three who were all surreptitiously glancing over her shoulder, "Your sister is gone."

"Gone?" asked Holly sharply.

"She didn't show up at the art studio this afternoon, and your old LEP access card and Neutrino 2000 are gone. And they've both registered use just today, after you left," Foaly said. "Guess where she might be?"

Knowing Mariana, Holly could guess, and she would be correct, too. But that knowledge definitely wasn't reassuring— in fact, it was altogether distressing.

* * *

Generally, the LEP would keep records of shuttles going in and out of their port. _Generally_, they'd also make sure the shuttles got back on schedule after an assigned mission. Unfortunately, under the stress of the Council meetings and the lockdown, no one had bothered to check on the shuttle currently being driven by one Lauren Maple. If they had checked, they would have realized that instead of heading back to Haven as ordered to, it was making a cut westward towards Nice. And that was bad, very bad. 

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Lauren grumbled as she gunned the shuttle down the dingy little supply tunnel that had surely not been used in at least a century. "This is totally insane. Just wait until your sister finds out. Or worse, the Council."

"They won't find out. They never check," Mariana scoffed, "Have a sense of humor, why don't you?"

"You do know that you're putting our lives at stake," Lauren retorted. "This isn't a game."

"Then why haven't you turned back?" Mariana laughed. "Admit it; you want your share of the action, too, instead of being Artemis Fowl's delivery girl. Besides, what's the big deal about a bit of risk? A little adventure never killed anyone."

But of course, she was wrong, dead wrong about that.

As a general rule, people about to be in grave danger should not tempt fate. This rule is once again proved by the fact that at that precise moment, their shuttle lost communications to the outside world. The radar, the detection scans, almost all their equipment was immediately shorted out. Lauren had just realized this and was about to shriek in panic, until fate (or otherwise) gave her something else to shriek about: the undeniable sounds of gunshots.

The heavy back thrusters of the shuttle were suddenly riddled with holes as several laser weapons were fired at them. Naturally, as with anything else able to fly, the shuttle went down, its nose suddenly turned down in a 180 degree dive, something not even the most fanatical core diver would attempt. For the passengers of the shuttle, the world faded to darkness upon impact on the chute floor, only inches, as it turned out, from the shuttleport they had sought to find.

However, for the others, both fairy and human, the action was only beginning.

* * *

**Author's Note:** If you may have wondered how I know for absolute certainty that my OCs are not Mary Sues, this particular scene is the reason why: They have no common sense! I think this supreme act of stupidity serves two purposes- one, it takes them out of the running for the most annoyingly perfect character in Artemis Fowl (Minerva wins) and two, it actually has value to the plot… 

Anyways, I'm sorry to say I'm having a bit of trouble writing the next chapter and I'll be in school pretty soon so the updates might not be regular. Cut me a bit of slack, I do have APs and PSATs after all. (I so wish I could just be in college already.) And since you feel so sorry for the insane amount of work I'm going to have to do in a couple of weeks, why don't you review?

Come on, guys, make my day and review...if you do, you get...um...a painting! Well, a virtual one? (Sorry, I'm painting lately and if you want my latest, review!)

Enjoy the last little bit of your summer,

Lily


	8. Desperate Measures

**Disclaimer: **Nothing is mine, except for Mariana and Lauren...but...erm...well, just read it.

**Author's Note:** You know, I thought I wouldn't be updating for a while, given my current state of moping about all the work I'll have to do in a couple of days, but instead, I was alerted by my muse, who demanded that I post. Unfortunately, this muse tends to come at night, and so I forget most of what she told me by the time I wake up, shower, eat breakfast, and make it to my computer. So this is what's left, after I've forgotten what I meant to write:

* * *

**Chapter 8 Desperate Measures**

It is a strange thing to see what used to be a bustling place reduced to something resembling a ghost town, though much more technologically advanced. The duty free stores and gift shops lining the shuttle docks are now all empty, their windows torn out and cheap Plexiglas put in their place. When you stare down one of those huge rooms with the baggage carousels unused, you can almost hear the commotion of the past and see the people as they were, two hundred years ago, before it all ended.

It is a strange experience to just get a tourist's look at the abandoned Nice shuttleport, but it is an even more peculiar experience to be imprisoned within it.

Mariana Short was in such a situation, trapped within what looked like a supply closet, armed with only century-old flyers advertising an island resort in the French Mediterranean. Needless to say, they weren't much help.

As Mariana shook herself back into consciousness and studied her surroundings, what she discovered didn't exactly bode well. Her sister's access card and Neutrino were predictably confiscated, along with Mariana's wallet and whatever other junk happened to be ensnared in her jeans' pockets. For some reason, even her lip gloss and keychain were no where to be found. Possibly even more worrying was the fact that her accomplice, Lauren was not in sight either.

Just then, the door burst open, revealing for a fraction of a moment, a surprisingly well-lit headquarters of some kind, before it closed again, a tall gnome having now entered. He aimed a gun of some sort (how was a she supposed to know what kind?) at her and demanded gruffly, "Are you Mariana Short?"

Usually, Mariana makes it a general rule to not speak to anyone who happens to be keeping her under lock-and-key but when a gun is pointed at you, rules tend to change. "Uh-huh," she managed to say.

"Holly Short's sister?"

"Yeah."

While Mariana didn't know it at the time, this was a major win for Ark Sool. By pure luck, his sensors had intercepted and shot down a shuttle that happened to carry the sister of one of his major enemies. Sool couldn't help but let out a delighted cackle. After all, this practically guaranteed that Holly would now attempt to rescue her sister, and the last living member of her immediate family, at all cost, even if it meant a personal risk to herself. And there was no end to the use that would bring him in the near future.

* * *

Little did Mariana know, her sister, Artemis Fowl, Juliet Butler, and Mulch Diggums were congregated at the old, caved-in entrance of the Nice shuttleport, just a few feet aboveground. But the news wasn't too encouraging there either. 

Holly snatched Mulch's collar, the dread settling in her stomach. "She was on the shuttle, wasn't she?" she demanded. "My sister- did she sneak up here?"

"Yeah," Mulch gasped for air, "Just let me go!"

Holly released the dwarf, running a hand through her auburn curls anxiously. "You don't happen to know anything, do you?"

"Actually, she was the one who came and got me," Mulch recalled. "Mariana, right?"

"Oh, no," Holly groaned. It was exactly as she had suspected. Her sister, though relatively clever for her age, could be incredibly immature sometimes. Holly would never admit it, but perhaps Mariana was every bit as impetuous and reckless as her older sister in her yearning for adventure. And the consequences could be dire, as she had realized and surely, Mariana would, too.

"Um, I hate to be the bearer of more bad news," Foaly interjected, "but Lauren's shuttle was intercepted. I don't know much more than because of Sool's shields but we definitely lost contact with them a few minutes ago and it's probably fair to say that they probably got too close to the shuttleport and got shot down."

"This is serious," Artemis said. "There is definite reason to believe that both Lauren and Mariana may be either dead or imprisoned by Sool. Personally, imprisoned seems more likely, given that they could be use to ransom or to capture us as we attempt a rescue attempt. I'd guess that a direct message will be on its way quite soon."

As if his mere voice held immeasurable power, an email appeared on Holly's screen. She apprehensively opened it— it read, simply:

_I have your sister._

_You have 24 hours._

* * *

Underground, Trouble had assembled the Retrieval team, consisting of many of his best officers, Major Vein, Captain Newt, etc. Unfortunately, it also included his brother, Grub. 

Parents may try to be neutral, but always, there will be a certain sibling that they liked best. Trouble knew that Holly's father had always favored her, a fact that Mariana would always be jealous of, and some obscure reason that will perhaps never be understood, Mrs. Kelp preferred Grub. What his mother saw in his spineless younger brother, Trouble would never know but upon his acceptance into the LEP Academy, she had insisted that he keep Grub under his supervision at all times. And so, Grub always got a spot on any team Trouble was on, a fact that the other officers always wondered about. Trouble had always been embarrassed by the way Grub shadowed him but he really didn't have much choice than to obey. She was his mother, after all.

"Trubs!" Grub cried on this instance, struggling to keep up with his brother, who was, naturally, trying to shake him.

"We're on duty, Corporal," Trouble replied curtly. "It's Commander Kelp to you."

"Geez, Trubs," Grub muttered. "Just because Holly dumped you doesn't mean you have to take it out on me."

"What did you say?" Trouble demanded, shoving his brother roughly into the shuttle before he could retaliate. But it was true— ever since Holly had left earlier today, he had been expelling his anger on various people. No wonder why Foaly wouldn't even talk to him anymore.

Trying to clear his muddled head, Trouble rubbed his temples and told himself, forget her. This is an important mission and you need to concentrate on that right now, instead of brooding over a girl. This isn't like you.

But Holly wasn't just any girl— she was the most amazing, brave, talented, beautiful person he had ever known. Her brazen audacity and quick wit had always stunned him even as children, not to mention the fact that she was drop-dead gorgeous, in his opinion. But he supposed that that was the root of all the problems between them; he had always been in love with her but she had always been reluctant to even go out with him. It seemed like every time he thought that they were finally on the same page, Holly would spout some excuse about why she couldn't marry him. But even after all those years, he couldn't help but get his hopes up, again and again, only to be crushed.

And then there was the fact that it seemed that every time Holly went off on one of her adventures, she would return like a different person. She would stare off in to the distance, a faint smile on her face, and when asked what she was pondering, she would quickly reply, "Oh, nothing." For some reason, that Mud Boy had some sort of power over her, the way she nearly always took his side even when it was him who had abducted him. For goodness sakes, she even saved his life almost regularly and didn't think a thing of risking her own life in the process. Trouble found himself wondering if Holly would ever do that for him.

Reluctantly turning his mind back to the mission at hand, he ushered the last of his team into the shuttle, and reminded himself, once again, "She doesn't matter. You have a job to do."

And he almost believed it, too. After all, he had gotten quite good at telling himself lies, after all these years of believing that she truly did love him.

* * *

The training one generally receives in the LEP Academy usually suffices for the average police career, being rather heavy on the general knowledge. But unfortunately, in truly dangerous situations, the ability to improvise is a skill one should most certainly possess if one wishes to survive such a situation. This sort of thing is even more difficult when this happened to be your first real Recon mission, and your total combat experience amounted to a few hours in a shooting range. 

This was the situation that Lauren found herself in as she regained consciousness in a dark cupboard of some sort. Naturally, the door was locked, but it was a relatively old building, so Lauren estimated the mechanism to be a simple code. But the bolts were undoubtedly reinforced steel, so there was no way to unlock it from the inside, short of having a laser weapon.

Thinking of her Neutrino, Lauren's hand immediately wandered to her hip, but of course, even Ark Sool was not that foolish. There was absolutely no weapon of any sort on her person, so the only option would be some sort of scheme to lure Sool into letting her out. Lauren sat cross-legged, finding herself surprising calm in a situation like this. The idea that I'm actually being held hostage just hasn't sunk in yet, she surmised. Neither was the idea that her life was actually in danger.

But Holly's kid sister immediately came to mind. The stupid girl had caused her to do this in the first place, and as livid as she was at Mariana, Lauren knew that she had to somehow escape with the kid in tow. After all, if she had thrown herself headfirst into a thoroughly dangerous business without a thought to the consequences, then she certainly wouldn't be able to extricate herself from it without help.

With absolutely no supplies at hand, Lauren decided that she would have to rely purely on distraction. Hopefully, at some point, she could grab a weapon. After all, if the mud boy's theory was correct, than this place ought to be littered with high-tech armaments and equipment. After all, Sool would've had advice from all of the preeminent scientists in the world.

Abruptly, the door swung open, interrupting Lauren's thoughts and revealing a rather bulky gnome. He wore reflective sunglasses, consequently thwarting any attempt Lauren might have made at using the mesmer. Using it on fellow fairies may have been strictly forbidden by the Book, but it would've have been worth a try in such an emergency.

But the plan was the important thing, Lauren thought, tearing her eyes away from the gnome. Instead she clutched her abdomen and groaned pitifully, "Let me out! I so need the bathroom!"

The gnome looked like he had no idea what to do, instead opting to stare at the girl as if he had never seen anything like it. Lauren heightened her act, letting out an ear-piercing shriek, and yelled, "I've got to go, unless you want me to puke all over your shoes!"

Somewhat reluctantly, the gnome let her out of the door, forcing her to stand. Lauren felt something cold and metallic jab into her back, immediately sensing that it was a gun. And suddenly, all the fear she had been determinedly repressing flooded to the forefront of her mind. I'm going to die; she thought wildly, her eyes frantically wandering around the room, her heart beating far too fast.

"Walk," the sentry commanded. "If you stop, you know what happens."

Desperately trying to clear the intense emotions from her brain, Lauren concentrated on searching the room. If you don't want to die, keep to the plan, she reminded herself callously. The room beyond was surprisingly bare, Lauren observed as she walked. There was a steel metal table, cluttered with a few gadgets that Lauren didn't recognize, but there, hanging on the wall, were several guns! But as they grew closer to the guns, Lauren realized that they weren't Neutrino weapons at all— they were grey and metallic with a relatively long barrel…human rifles? But that meant that the gun pressed to her back was—

No, don't think about that, her pragmatic side told her. It doesn't matter, just stick to the plan. Lauren breathed deeply, clearing her head of all thoughts except of what her senses told her, right now, right here. Some where to her left, there were sounds of the cries of a girl, somewhat muffled by the thick walls. Mariana, Lauren knew at once. But she was going an entirely different direction, down the long hall in front of them. So, there was only one viable option, only one way she could possibly act. And it wasn't a particularly good one, especially if she wished to stay alive as long as possible. But desperate times called for desperate measures.

* * *

All fairies have magic, though some have more than others. Dwarfs didn't have much magic, but they did have several extremely useful physical traits, such as their ability to ingest dirt and…well, you get the idea. This was the method of transportation that Mulch Diggums tended to prefer so he was quite content, despite the dire situation, to be tunneling in the rich soil of Southern France. 

He was so content, in fact that he closed his eyes as he tunneled and hummed a bit before the listeners on his mike objected rather rudely, judging by the comments coming in through his earphones. Mulch would've replied equally rudely, if it were not for the wall that he had inadvertently hurtled into.

"Ow," Mulch muttered through a mouthful of dirt. But apart from the throbbing ache in his cranium, the collision was actually quite helpful. Mulch could already hear Artemis's voice in his ear, "That's the shuttleport wall. Now look for a room with vibrations and enter Foaly's microphone."

Dwarf hairs were also quite unique as they could be used to detect certain vibrations, such as the movement of an insect, or in this case, conversation. Foaly, however, would argue that in this case, his especially designed microphone was far more exceptional, as it was so tiny and being fortified with camfoil, even the average insect would not be bothered by its presence on a wall. Conveniently, it also came with its own ultra-quiet laser that would carve a place for it in the wall, a function particularly useful for convert missions. All Mulch had to do was attach the contraption to an optimal spot on the shuttleport wall and the mechanism would do the rest.

The first leg of the job done, Mulch began to tunnel, again. This time, though, he progressed unhurriedly, with his beard hairs pressing against the wall. Surely, even Sool would think to install sensors along the walls, Artemis had guessed and he was correct. Mulch could feel the slight vibrations of those sensors irritating his sensitive beard hairs with every mouthful. Finally, he paused upon a place with very little vibration.

"Definitely no one inside," he assessed. "Probably just one pretty low-tech sensor, by the feel of it."

"That's as good as it's going to get," Artemis told him. "I very much doubt that fairy devices would run out of battery as quickly as Spiro's sensors. Go in, but do so, very carefully."

"Right, mud boy," Mulch rolled his eyes. As if he needed telling. The dwarf pulled out a small bottle of extremely corrosive liquid— dwarf rock polish, one of his typical tools of the trade. He chose a spot with as little vibration as possible and poured. Even a dwarf's jaws cannot chew through solid metal, but the rock polish devoured the steel and left a rather gaping hole in the wall. It would set off some sensors, of course, but they would just have to hope that Sool had better things to worry about than a diminutive disturbance in a clearly unimportant room.

And by Artemis's reckoning, no doubt he would be, as Holly and Juliet were currently setting off a few of Butler's grenades, in perfect view of the shuttleport entrance. So incredible that even the most diligent megalomaniacs were fooled with the simple distraction of watching the pretty lights.

But what Mulch did not know was that at that particular moment, Sool had another, more pressing (or at least, more violent) disturbance within his fortress.

* * *

Now as the time to act, the only moment she could possibly steal, before it was too late. As Lauren and the sentry drew closer to the wall with the guns, she kicked him, aiming for his groin, her movements as sudden and swift as she could manage under the less-than-ideal circumstances. He collapsed to the ground, groaning in pain, and Lauren took this moment to wriggle away from his grasp. The gnome, barely having regained his senses, fired his gun, but the shot flew down the corridor, never hitting the target, the sound of its impact ringing harshly in Lauren's ears. Human bullets; it must be, for no fairy laser gun could possibly make such a hideous sound. 

With no time to waste, she snatched a gun from the rack, frantically hoping that it was loaded. The human rifle was much too large for her small hands but she lugged the heavy contraption until it was aimed towards the surprised sentry and fired. The bullet hit its mark, sinking into the gnome's leg, rendering him unconscious with pain, at least for the time being.

Had she killed him? Lauren couldn't even bear to ask the question. The gun still in tow, she sprinted towards the door that surely held Mariana behind it. Knowing that it would only be moments before more sentinels came to investigate the situation, Lauren swiftly scanned the door, seeing the only way to break it. With no small amount of difficulty, she nudged the rifle straight into the bold holding the door shut and fired. Needless to say, this wasn't the smartest thing one could do, especially given the possibility that the bullet could go on to hit the room's occupant, but with no laser weapon in sight, it was the only thing Lauren could think to do.

Apprehensively, she tried the door. It wasn't great shot, but it opened, at least, revealing Mariana cowering on the other side of it. The younger girl's eyes widened in surprise. "Lauren! How did you—?"

"Never mind that for now," Lauren said brusquely, grabbing Mariana's arm. She could already hear the footsteps fast approaching. "Just concentrate on getting out of here!"

But then, Mariana saw her companion's eyes broaden in shock, felt her hand stiffen and release her arm, and heard the thud ring throughout her eardrum as Lauren fell to the ground, blood staining the back of her jumpsuit. Time seem to stretch as Mariana sunk to her knees, stiff with disbelief as she struggled to accept what had just happened. And it was all because of her.

Sparks rushed around the wound, feverishly attempting to mend it, but the damage was too great. Mariana plunged her own hands into the wound, summoning every spark of magic she could possibly muster, but that wasn't much. No doubt the shuttle crash had taken a hefty amount of healing power.

"I'm so sorry, Lauren," Mariana cried, the tears spilling from her eyes like rain from the skies. "This was all my fault."

"Be careful," gasped Lauren, her voice raspy from punctured lungs. Though her small amount of magic was buying her a bit of time, unconsciousness was inevitable. But she just had to make sure that somehow, Holly and Artemis would go in prepared. She managed to croak, "They have human guns. Tell Holly."

With those last words, she collapsed. The dark bloodstains would always linger upon those concrete floors along with the memory of a tragedy.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I just wrote my first real death scene (not counting that guy Moreau). After all, Shannon is right: Lauren is far too much like Holly and she had to go. But don't worry, it's all in the name of the plot…hopefully. 

Anyways, despite consistent urgings from my muse, I doubt I'll be posting again any time too soon. But I will try to keep to once a week as usual, though I can't promise anything, given all the things I already promised to do this year. I am nothing short of insane, folks. But the point is, I apologize in advance for the future delays and I can promise that I'm going to finish this fic. Eventually. And I've already got the sequel on my mind...

Thanks again, for putting up with my mediocre writing and I hope you'll all be incredibly kind and review. Think about it: if you do, my next chapter might be better and you won't have to wince every time you see a clear plothole or grammatical error. So it's a win-win situation, right?

Please, please review!

Lily


	9. Too Much Information

**Disclaimer: **People, people, you need to get a brain transplant if you still believe that Colfer-verse is mine!

**Author's Note: **I have bad news and good news. The bad news is my current lack of reviews. I understand, people are going back to school, getting a lot busier, and so am I. But I really would appreciate a bit more feedback than the teensy little five reviews I got for chapter 8, which I actually worked quite hard on. But from now on, I will be posting my chapters on Friday afternoons, in face of the weekend so that more people will have time to read— and hopefully, review— future chapters.

On the bright side, I have been nominated for the Orion awards in multiple categories, mainly thanks to missLivia. I assume this is a good thing, even though Liv is my friend, and therefore, biased (no offense!). And I never even knew there was such thing as Orion awards until I was nominated! Crazy, huh?

Okay, well, this is the very long awaited chapter 9 and I'm sorry to say that it isn't very exciting. But the next one will be chock-full of action, I promise! So here we go:

* * *

**Chapter 9 Too Much Information**

Mulch stepped inside the room cautiously, pushing a chest of drawers to cover the hole, his eyes (and beard hair) scanning the room. It was furnished with a few plush lounges and a glass coffee table, cluttered with various papers. No doubt it had once served as an executive lounge of some sort, but nowadays, it was more of a living room. Mulch snorted. Imagine actually living in an abandoned shuttleport— that gnome must really be desperate.

"Stick to the plan, Mulch," Artemis's voice in his ear reminded him. "Look for clues about what Sool's greater scheme is."

"I know, Fowl," Mulch said. He started going through the papers, looking for anything that might be important later on. The papers were mostly internal affairs profiles, no doubt things accessed in Sool's days in Internal Affairs. But on many of the official documents, there were often handwritten notes, all scrawled by the same blue ballpoint pen. Most heavily noted was a thick file that read…

"Is that about me?" Holly's voice came through the mikes. And it was indeed, for the file was entitled _Holly Short_ and included her latest physical, psych report, missions, flight records, everything. But even more revealing, there were clearly the most annotations on the section labeled _Relationship with Artemis Fowl II_.

"Record every page with your iris cam and email to me," Artemis ordered, curiosity was evident in his voice. "But don't take anything. No trace, remember."

"You mean, email it to me," Holly corrected. Mulch groaned inwardly; surely, this was the start of yet another round of Artemis/Holly bickering

"I need to see the handwritten notes, at least," Artemis protested. "It could be important."

"Or perhaps, you just want to check out _my _file."

"If I did, I could always just hack the LEP database."

"You could, if you didn't happen to know as well as I do that they've installed a new fiber optic blocker since your little escapade with the C Cube."

"Still bitter I outsmarted you, hmm?" Artemis teased.

"As if," Holly replied, and promptly knocked the human boy over the back of his head, by the sounds coming in through Mulch's earpiece.

"Ow!" Artemis exclaimed. Mulch secretly winced. Fowl may have the highest tested IQ in Europe, but he still hadn't learned his lesson about staying on Holly's good side.

"Fine, email it to her," said Artemis resignedly.

Mulch couldn't help but let out a cackle, as he returned the papers to their original position. The greatest criminal mind of the twenty-first century, once again defeated by a girl's mean left hook.

* * *

Lauren was dead. The thought kept on returning to the forefront of Mariana's mind, far more eminent than thoughts of her own safety. Because it had been all her fault. For the first time in her life, she understood the terrible melancholy that shrouded her sister's countenance whenever Holly remembered the day Julius had died. Responsibility for the loss of a life, even if only inadvertently, and very faintly, in her sister's case, was an awful ordeal to bear. Mariana would always know that none of this would've ever happened if only she'd been a little bit smarter, just slightly more cautious. If only she hadn't let her thirst for adventure become more important than even the most basic of common sense.

With tears running down her face like rainwater, Mariana barely had time to lift her head to see the rest of the guards come scampering, right after the nick of time. A particularly burly one pinned Mariana to the wall, demanding, "What the hell did you do?"

"Nothing," she shrieked, her feet dancing a foot from the ground.

"Damn it, the other girl's dead," another guard commented. "The boss won't be happy."

"Doesn't matter," the burly one replied, letting Mariana slide to the floor. "Boss don't need that one."

"Are you so stupid that you're incapable of stringing together a proper sentence?" Mariana scoffed, defiant even in face of peril. "It's '_it_ doesn't matter' and '_The_ boss _doesn't_ need that one'."

"It's you that's stupid, girl," the burly gnome replied. "You don't even know when to keep your mouth shut."

"Give it a rest," the other guard berated his comrade. "We've got to get the girl to the boss like he told us to."

"What?" Mariana exclaimed, as the guards lifted her off the ground again, and began down the hall. "Hey, let me down!"

They deposited her in a chair at the far end of a long, mainly empty room. The way it was currently decorated, with a single rickety stool at one end and a plush chaise longue at the other, and emphasized with soft lighting, it resembled a modern day throne room. It came at no great surprise to Mariana that the gnome seated at the opposite end of the hall was the same who'd threatened her earlier.

"What are you a megalomaniac?" Mariana asked disdainfully, squinting at the gnome. For some reason, at a more careful glance, he looked rather familiar.

"I'm afraid that it is I who will be fielding the questions today, Miss Short," he replied, his tone stunningly unruffled for a person who'd just kidnapped two people and as good as killed one of them.

"Wait a sec," Mariana recalled his voice as well as his countenance. "Aren't you an LEP guy? You were in the paper, and on television, around the time Holly—"

But she stopped suddenly. This guy, whoever he was, already knew far too much her and her sister. Surely, it couldn't be beneficial to Holly for her younger sister to be blabbing about her to this obvious megalomaniac. One person had already died today because of Mariana's imprudence; it mustn't happen again.

However, it would've made no difference, for he already knew. "Around the time your sister disappeared?" he smirked, savoring the fearful revelation splattered across the girl's face for all to see. "Yes, indeed, I know all about that, because, after all, I _was_ LEP. Internal Affairs, to be exact, and then Recon commander for a short period after that. Don't you recall?"

"Sool!" Mariana spat, her face full of indignation. "You were the jerk who accused my sister of murder! How could you?"

"I see that fiery temper runs in the family," Sool remarked, perfectly unconcerned. "But no matter. You will answer me: What is Holly Short's greatest weakness?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Mariana sneered. "I'm not psychic."

"Surely you know something about your sister," Sool frowned. This was going to be a tad more difficult than he thought. Of course, he already knew all that he needed, but this girl ought to be shaking in terror, affirming his every suspicion, conforming to his every command. She was the hostage, for goodness sakes. Instead, she was jeering at _him_!

"Sure," Mariana shrugged, eager to give away only thoroughly unhelpful information. "I know her middle name, how many sugars she likes with tea, what she got for her last birthday…"

"What about Artemis Fowl?" Sool cut her off. "What do you know about him?"

"He's a human, he has blue eyes, he hates lollipops with a passion…"

"For goodness sakes, don't you know anything useful about either of them?" Sool exclaimed, exasperation showing on his usually impassive countenance at last. Mariana grinned inwardly; as dire as the situation was, she could help but love aggravating this supercilious jerk.

* * *

Only a few feet aboveground, Artemis had just been similarly aggravated. Although, apart from the throbing lump that had risen beneath his scalp, he wasn't actually bothered. Being a Fowl, Artemis was prone to quarrel with people when not receiving _precisely_ what he wanted, though in most cases, the mistake was immediately corrected. Most did not seek to argue with a Fowl, being rather intimidated, to say the least, if not by the strange child who acted like an adult, then by the monstrous giant that usually stood by his shoulder.

But not Holly. To this day, she was the only person who dared to tell him when he was being a bombastic jerk. In fact, more than once (quite a handful of instances, actually), she had retaliated with, shall we say, more violent measures. And of course, she was the only one who could match him in a battle of witticism, time and time again.

Artemis couldn't help but smile nowadays whenever they bickered, in a way that was indeed reminiscent of an old married couple, as Mulch would say. But squabbling with her was unlike arguing with anyone else— it was a like a game, and _fun_. Hard enough for even Artemis himself to believe, he thoroughly enjoyed it. Whenever neither could think of yet another droll retort, the tension would deflate like a released balloon and both could not help but explode in laughter at their own impertinence. It was like a battle of wits, and always ended in amusement.

Remembering the urgency of the situation, he reluctantly turned his thoughts back to the task at hand. Glancing once more at the live video that was currently being shot by Mulch inside the shuttleport, crisscrossed with a 3-D model of the blueprints, Artemis traced a route with his index finger. Or several routes, to be exact, at strategic points where there were sure to be guards. And there were approximately a dozen guards that Sool had either mesmerized or more likely, bribed, according to what Mulch's beard hairs had scoped out so far.

So, Sool had them in his arsenal, along with what probably included several especially designed bio-bombs. What he didn't have was far more important. Naturally, he would not want to use mesmer on other fairies, for fear of losing his magic, and Sool himself was neither a genius nor a soldier. Alone, he was powerless; his power utterly depended on the fact that his sentinels seemed to be loyal to him and would remain steadfast.

Finally, Artemis felt the gratifying sensation for concocting a stunningly cunning plan flow through him. All the pieces of the puzzles seemed to be united, fitting together nearly flawlessly, creating a panorama of true brilliance. At last, the genius within him rekindled, after what seemed like an insufferably long hibernation fraught with the pesky nuisance of self-doubt.

* * *

Wrestling: even on the best of days, the average human isn't usually enticed to discuss at great length the manner in which one extremely large and bulky wrestler slams into another. However, Juliet Butler, needless to say, was not the average human.

"So then Rey Mysterio nearly got his entire skull crushed," Juliet gushed. "That Khali Vise Grip is just amazing! I so have to try that out in the ring sometime."

"Uh-huh," Holly muttered, barely registering Juliet's words. Instead, her eyes were entirely fixated on Artemis. The unnaturally pale mud boy, (or rather mud man, nowadays), looked as incongruous as usual in the vivid Mediterranean sunset. But in spite of his less-than-handsome visage, there was still something quite…unique about the way his brow furrowed as he thought, and the way his ambidextrous fingers flew over the keyboard.

Juliet noticed; in fact, her fairy friend's thoroughly inattentive behavior was hard to miss. "Strange seeing vampire boy in the sun for once, huh?" said Juliet, her voice light and teasing. But in all honesty, she was testing the waters; could it be that Holly actually _liked_ her principle?

"Definitely," Holly agreed, at a loss for a better response. But what Juliet suspected was only too true, in a way Holly herself didn't understand. Why are you feeling this way about a stupid mud boy, she silently berated herself. You are on a mission, and you mustn't let anything else distract you, even if…

Even if you _love _him? The forbidden words floated treacherously into her thoughts. It couldn't be, it simply couldn't. Such an affair would never work; Holly told herself logically, it is unheard of nowadays. Perhaps during the Frond Dynasty, but never now.

"So, you're Artemis's bodyguard now?" Holly asked, deftly turning the subject and her wandering eyes away, even though her mind was still pondering that unanswerable question.

"Not really," Juliet said, rolling her eyes. "Arty would be glad if I came back home but wrestling is good, you know? Is it silly to say that for the first time in my life, I was doing something I loved and not something I was expected to do?"

"No," Holly replied. "That's not silly at all. That's how I felt about Recon."

"But all you do is deskwork nowadays."

"Well, sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do."

"Yeah," Juliet sighed. "I don't want to give up wrestling though. But I know I can't do it forever, and I'm not a lithe little teenager anymore. Like Arty says, I should think about getting a real job, huh?"

"But for you, wrestling _is_ a real job," Holly said. "And if you love it, you should keep at it, no matter what."

"I'm not like you, Holly, practically young forever," Juliet pointed out. "I'm twenty-six, and the shelf-life for a wrestler isn't long, to be truthful, even if you are really good. But you, why did you take that stupid promotion if you don't even want it?"

Holly thought back to when she had just returned from Hybras, only to realize that three years had gone by without her. Everything had been different— Mariana had transferred to Haven, Foaly had returned to working for the LEP, and Trouble was commander. Naturally, Foaly and Trouble had wanted her to resume her old Recon position, but Vinyaya…well, Vinyaya had had a few words with her.

"It's a really long story," Holly began, hoping she would be spared from having to recount it. Not only was it lengthy, but it also featured a decision that she was neither particularly pleased nor proud about. Thankfully, Mulch chose this particular moment to emerge from the nearby dirt, his reconnaissance mission complete.

"Those sentries sure are stupid," he reported with his typical self-satisfied smile plastered across his face. "They didn't even notice me when I planted the bugs."

"What're the defenses like, then?" Holly asked, ignoring the dwarf's smug attitude.

"Easy," he replied, "Just a few sensors, CCTV cameras in all the key rooms, and those idiot gnomes patrolling the place."

"Well, Foaly can control their communications, providing you inserted the fiber optic blocker?"

"Yeah, yeah," Mulch replied, his tombstone teeth now chomping through a substance that no one cared to ask about. "Just can't do anything without me, huh?"

"Does anyone else think that this seems a bit too easy?" Artemis asked, standing up from his perch on at the steps of the shuttle for the first time in two hours. "Even Sool must have a bit more up his sleeve than this, if he actually expects to succeed with his plan."

"Oh yeah," Mulch added. "Forgot to say; they've also got these human guns."

"What?" Holly and Artemis exclaimed simultaneously.

"Yeah, these big long rifles— all the guards have them," Mulch said, perfectly nonchalantly. "Shouldn't be too big a problem, right? They're only human technology after all."

"Yes, but that means they are armed to kill," explained Artemis. "And don't you think that makes it just a bit more dangerous? And then there is the question of where they got these guns from and if there is another human link besides Monsieur Moreau."

"Whatever," Mulch shrugged. "It ain't gonna be me going in there anyways."

"Foaly, you listening?" Holly said into her helmet mike.

"Yeah, yeah," the centaur replied. "Trouble and his team are flying over from Switzerland as we speak, Holly. Haven't you guys got a plan yet?"

"Of sorts, yes," Artemis nodded, calling up a 3-D virtual model of the shuttleport. "There are approximately a dozen guards, patrolling along their assigned paths around the edges of the shuttleport, as such," he explained, marking their respective paths. "We split up into groups of two, and neutralize the targets, all the while sending phantom images to the cameras, with a little help from Foaly."

"A little?" Foaly interrupted incredulously. "Do you know how hard it is to find the appropriate 3-D images for all those sentries? I'll have to run searches through three years of PPTV reruns just to find the right files!"

"Moving on," Artemis continued, ignoring Foaly's complaints. "The operations center seems to be on the top floor, just above Sool's own quarters which, naturally, don't have cameras. Team A will approach the center through here, on the second floor, and from then on, I will proceed to the third floor to penetrate their inner defenses."

"And just what are the inner defenses?" Holly asked. "I'm guessing that this is the hard part."

"Quite so, yes," Artemis admitted. "Sool seems to have access to quite the arsenal and though I can penetrate the first two layers of retina and voice recognition scans, there is a third that I'm afraid is impenetrable."

"Impenetrable?"

"Flux metal," Artemis explained. "Even cutting of his hand would not do the trick, as the metal would read the lack of pulse. A little trick our dear ex-commander learned from Section 8, no doubt."

"But then what do we do?" Juliet asked, confused.

"That's where Holly comes in. She will burn through Sool's private quarters, where he surely will be tonight, and capture him. Then, we will proceed to the third floor, and penetrate the defenses to override the system."

"Which you can do, I assume?"

"I believe I can," Artemis nodded, his customary smugness only too visible.

"What's the catch mud boy?" Mulch asked, still sucking on whatever it was he had been eating. "I've been on enough missions with you to know that it's never as easy as it sounds."

"You're right," Artemis admitted. "There is a slight catch— in the form of a rather considerable time restraint. You see, by the plans that I have examined from the confiscated papers, Haven will be bio-bombed at midnight tonight."

* * *

**Author's Note:** In case you forgot, it's about sunset now, so they've got approximately four hours to penetrate the the defenses, get to Sool, and override the system. Pretty tight time constraint, huh? Besides, there's going to be some nice little twists in the storyline after this- in other words, it's far from over.

The next chapter is already partially written and actually quite exciting to write, so it'll probably be up quite soon. But still, I've got school and about 100 lines from Antigone to memorize this weekend so that could be subject to change. But in the meantime, would it be too hard to just submit a little review encouraging me to continue? Or any advice, questions, ideas, flames- you know the drill, anything's welcome!

Thanks in advance,

Lily


	10. Out of Time

**Author's Note:** Thank you, thank you for all the pretty reviews! And look, I'm so close to 100 reviews! I've never gotten anywhere near there before, but then again, this _is_ my first chaptered fic.

A bit of news...as you know, this fic has been nominated for the Orion Awards in...three catagories, I believe. And a drabble of mine, _Why?_ was nominated in two catagories and it would be wonderful of you to take a look at that as well. And once again, many, many thanks to Liv.

This chapter has a bit of...erm...I suppose you could call it current events, though it isn't really current. You should all know what I'm talking about, especially if you're older than 12 or live in the U.S. But keep in mind that Artemis is 22 in this story, so it's taking place in 2011. And off we go:

* * *

**Chapter 10 Out of Time**

Glancing up quickly at the setting sun, and checking her watch, Juliet determined the time. "We have about four hours. Til midnight, that is. How dramatic of him to pick midnight."

"Even more dramatic if you consider the day, Juliet," Artemis hinted. "You ought to remember— you've lived in United States all those years."

Within a moment, she replied, a stunned look on her face, "The tenth anniversary tomorrow."

"What anniversary?" Holly was feeling a bit left out.

"The anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center," Artemis explained. "By midnight, you can bet that the world will be mourning— and more importantly, extremely alert in case Al-Qaeda has plotted a comeback. All the major cities in the world will be on high alert, and can you think of a more perfect— or for that matter, more ominous— date for Sool to reveal his ultimate intentions?"

"His ultimate intentions?" her mouth went dry.

"Naturally, the press will be covering the anniversary as well. I expect this attack on Haven is only an appetizer, to show who is truly in charge. But the main course will be sometime tomorrow, when Sool reveals the fairies to the human world."

"But why would he want to do that?" Juliet asked.

"Because he resents us all," it was Holly who answered. "Foaly told me when he was drummed out of the LEP a few years back; he promised that he'd have his revenge. No one took him seriously then, but now it looks like he meant it. He'll probably get paid big bucks from the press for this, too. Not that he needs the money."

"Wait just a sec," Mulch butted in. "How in the world did Arty find out all this? What, did Sool send you a memo?"

"Not exactly," Artemis answered his typical smugness evident. "It was quite obvious once you took a look at _when_ this is all happening. Think of what day Sool made an attempt on our lives?"

Holly racked her brain. "September 9th," she realized. "9-09: the LEP emergency number."

"And then in the files that Sool had, I saw that he had even researched the collapse of the World Trade Center on 9-11. From there, the reasoning is relatively simple— why not use the same date that plunged the U.S. and Britain into the debacle of the War in Iraq to plunge the entire world into an interspecies war?"

"It's incredible," Holly breathed. "It's almost too brilliant to be Sool's idea."

"Yes, that is the frightening part, isn't it," Artemis nodded. "We seemed to have mis-underestimated him, to use George W. Bush's nonexistent word."

"But he couldn't possibly know that we're on to him," Juliet said. "We've still got the upper hand— we're on the offense."

"And time is of the essence," Artemis agreed. "If we leave immediately, there is still time to foil his plot, providing Trouble Kelp's team is at their assigned positions."

Within a few seconds, Holly had contact on her wrist computer. It still stung to see her ex glaring at her, even if was through several miles, but this was no time for personal grudges. "Are you in position?"

"Yep," Trouble answered, also struggling to keep his emotions in check.

"Okay, then," Holly replied, glancing at Artemis. "'Time is ticking on—'"

"'—so we must be gone'," Artemis finished the words of H.P. Woodman. And indeed, within the minute, the motley group was gone from the Nice hillside.

* * *

Trouble Kelp was not particularly happy. First, his mother had insisted that his brother tag along on this mission, and now, he was saddled with Grub as a partner. Actually, having Grub as a partner, for those few unfortunate officers who know, is more like being working with a four-year-old than anything else. 

"It's really cold in here, Trubs," was Grub's complaint today. "I'm gonna catch a cold!"

"Grub, it's a retired shuttleport, _underground_. What did you expect, central heating?" Trouble scoffed as he carefully carved out an entrance from the steel with his Neutrino. It was one of the strategic points that the Fowl boy had specified, where security was the least stringent. That was just another reason for his displeasure; after all, they were taking orders from a mud boy! Just what had the LEP come to?

"But Trubs—"

"It's Commander Kelp while we're on duty!" Trouble reminded his brother for about the fiftieth time today. "And what is it now?"

"_Commander Kelp_," Grub pouted, pointing at the laser carving in the shuttleport wall, "Are we actually going to _fight_ now?"

"No, duh, Corporal," Trouble said, rolling his eyes. "That's usually what we do on a mission, isn't it?"

"You mean _fight_ Sool?" Grub's lower lip trembled in fear.

"Nah, probably just his mercenaries," Trouble answered, still concentrating on the path of his laser. At long last, the steel provisional threshold budged and with some difficulty, the commander managed to push the bulky layer of metal aside, revealing a dimly lit hallway.

"Are we seriously going in _there_?" Grub griped. "It looks even colder than out here."

Trouble sighed, roughly pushing his brother through the roughly-cut portal before entering himself. He carefully pushed the dislodged metal back into its place. No trace, though it probably wouldn't matter as by the time Sool discovered that the LEP were in his little hideaway, it would be far too late. Or at least, that was the plan.

"But Trouble!" Grub whined. "What if we actually have to fight someone?"

"See this, Grub?" Trouble held out his Neutrino 3000. His brother nodded. "This is called a gun. If someone attacks you, all you do is pull this little thing called a trigger with your finger and then they're stunned. Okay?"

"Like this?" Grub took his own Neutrino in hand and fired. Trouble managed to dive out of the way just in time to witness the laser puncture a hole into the wall where he had just stood. So much for no trace.

Trouble would've reprimanded his brother quite harshly for that particular mess-up, if several sentries were not lumbering towards the pair, alerted by having a Neutrino burst burn though a normally solid wall.

Naturally, Grub was petrified, letting out an extraordinarily high-pitched shriek. But Trouble merely widened his stance, and cocked his Neutrino, ready for battle. "So it's on," he muttered beneath his breath, and a wry smile was just barely visible beneath his otherwise stoic expression.

* * *

With a single well-aimed burst, Holly managed to render unconscious two of Sool's mercenaries at once. The hired muscle fell to the ground with a nearly seismic thud, or so it seemed to Artemis and Holly who were standing only yards from them. 

"Too easy," Holly muttered, struggling to contain her amusement at the idiotically astonished look on the sentries' faces.

"Indeed," Artemis agreed. "This is rather pathetic to be honest, even for Sool. I'd have expected a few surprises by now, but no, nothing unexpected."

"But all the better for us, then," Holly answered, already heading down next corridor. "We're actually doing quite well on time, for once."

"For once," Artemis repeated, his eyes meeting Holly's and held them, frozen in time. It was still strange to see one of his own eyes on her face, he told himself. That must be why he couldn't seem to take his eyes of her as of late. There can't be any other rationale, after all, Artemis reasoned, you've been seeing her quite regularly since you were twelve years old.

"Come on, let's go," Holly said, grabbing his hand, and sending a chill down Artemis's spine that certainly had nothing to do with the weather. But nevertheless, he followed her down the corridor, bypassing a few key-coded doors along the way, courtesy of Foaly. Finally, they arrived at the foot of Sool's private quarters.

"Right," Holly said, taking in the mediocre security measures. "This is where I get some payback."

"Just bring him unconscious," Artemis reminded her. "You've got about fifteen minutes."

"Easy," Holly smirked as she melted a few steel hinges with her Neutrino. Leaving only the bolt to hold the door in place, she pushed on it gently, revealing Sool's quarters within. By Foaly's scans, he was sure to be lurking somewhere inside, unaware of the penetration of his headquarters.

"Don't do anything more than necessary," Artemis reiterated as he headed his own way. "And," he added as an afterthought, "Be careful."

Holly laughed, and mockingly blew a kiss in his direction. "Don't worry. After all, when have I ever taken any risks?"

* * *

The sound of a rather bulky gnome sentinel thumping on to the ground, unconscious is rather loud and one might expect a dozen or so of these noises to alert Sool that something major was happening within his very lair. That is, if only Sool had not been paranoid to add extra soundproof panels to the walls of key rooms. 

"Two down," Juliet smirked, examining the newly felled sentry with no small satisfaction. It was like wrestling again— back in the ring, taking out some huge, ugly opponent.

Warmed up and ready to dispatch more sentinels, Juliet rounded the corner and would've head down the next corridor, had Major Vein not flung out an arm to stop her.

"What now?" she asked, rather annoyed. If only she could just kick butt and get the hell out of here. But no, there _always_ had to be complications.

"You can't go down there, there are sensors all over the place," Vein said, staring down the length of hallway through his helmet filters.

"So? We're wiped from the cameras, aren't we?"

"Yes, Mud Maid," Foaly explained in his typically annoying manner. "But this hallway is especially protected, and even though I have wiped your images from the CCTV cameras, the floor is covered in sensors. And you can imagine how awkward it would be to set off sensors but not show up on the cameras."

"Then what do we do?" Juliet queried, rather confused.

It was Vein's turn to smirk, loading his Neutrino with a piton. "We go Tarzan-style," he explained, shooting the piton through the ceiling.

"And there're no sensors on the ceiling?"

"Sool's no idiot, contrary to popular belief. But he's just a politician; he wouldn't know what you can do with a piton and some skill," Vein replied, as he swung lithely into the air.

Juliet quickly manipulated her own weapon and followed, tugging the cord around her waist. She hung from the ceiling quite comically until she shot a second piton a few yards down the corridor, jerking the first piton from the ceiling as soon as she was safely perched on the second. They moved down the hall in this fashion for quite a while until Foaly broke radio silence.

"There, see that door at the far end of the hall?" he asked. "That's where I'd guess Mariana is."

"How do you know?" Juliet asked curiously as she hoisted herself up the piton cord, careful to not let her feet touch the ground.

"There are only so many living people in this place," Foaly answered, rolling his eyes at Juliet's ignorance. "And only one is locked up. So that's got to be her, but strangely, I can't seem to find Trouble's trainee. She ought to be in here, too."

"Great," Vein muttered. "Now we're on baby-sitting duty."

"Well, she's Holly's sister," interjected Juliet, "Don't you care at all?"

"Are you kidding?" Vein asked. "Did you hear about how she broke up with Trouble? That girl is pure poison, stringing him along like that."

"Holly?" Juliet raised one eyebrow. "That doesn't sound like her at all."

"Nah, he's exaggerating," Foaly explained. "But their break-up was pretty bad. Though, I had to say, Trouble ought to have known better. I did warn him, after all."

"What d'you mean?" Juliet inquired. "What happened?"

"To put it simply, he asked her to marry him and she said no," Foaly replied. "And it wasn't the first time either. But it still pretty harsh, given that anyone would've thought that they were meant for each other."

"Exactly," Vein agreed. "And she dated him for so long, too. What's she waiting for?"

Juliet bit her lip, not wanting to say what she personally suspected. Perhaps she was unreasonable, but she could've sworn that there had been something between Holly and Artemis for ages now. Maybe it was ridiculous to cite such things, but there was that look in Artemis's eyes every time he even mentioned her, and the way Holly had stared at him just hours before.

Fortunately, she was spared from having to divulge her thoughts as the pair had reached the door at the end of the corridor. Juliet propelled herself as low as she possibly could without touching the floor, hanging rather awkwardly by her waist.

"The code's 441313," Foaly told her. "I found that out by hacking into the shuttleport CCTV system. And besides, apparently, that's Sool's birthday."

"He was born in 1313?" Juliet asked skeptically as she clumsily typed in the code. Anything involving the slightest amount of dexterity is difficult when you're suspended from the ceiling.

"Yeah, I know. Old, huh?" Foaly agreed. "Maybe he'll conveniently drop dead of a heart attack or a stroke or something."

Regrettably, that was not to be, at least within the near future, as our heroes would soon discover. At any rate, it was at that precise moment when Juliet's outreached hand touched the doorknob, ready to fling it open, all hell broke loose.

* * *

Holly rounded the corner alone, her footsteps slow and cautious. Even though she was shielded, Sool could very well notice her, as fairies are far more attuned to magic than their human counterparts. But this time, perhaps she wanted to be noticed. 

She could almost hear Artemis's voice berating her for what she was about to do, but to her, it was necessary. The life of her sister had been at stake today and Holly would do anything to ascertain that Mariana was safe. It had been her dying mother's last wish, after all, and as much as Holly had constantly tried to protect Mariana, her attempts were usually fruitless, given the wild spirit that both girls shared. It was almost enough for Holly to pity the job her mother had. Almost.

She unshielded, her hand resting on her Neutrino, ready for battle at any moment. But there, in the center of the unfurnished room, Sool sat in a large revolving chair, looking utterly unsurprised to see her. That should've been the first clue, if only Holly had not been too occupied with worries of her sister at that particular moment.

"Ah, Miss Short," he said unperturbedly. "So you have come to bargain for your sister at last, though without your friends. May I ask why?"

"This is my battle," she replied tersely. "But it doesn't matter. This is over, Sool. You're done; you might as well give up already. We have you cornered, all your mercenaries have been neutralized, and my sister is leaving with Trouble Kelp's retrieval team as we speak."

"If that is so, then why are you here, presenting yourself so obligingly to me?" Sool raised one eyebrow, still looking perfectly blasé.

"I need to ask you something."

"Fire away," Sool smiled serenely, nodding at the Neutrino blaster at Holly's hip. "Though not literally, I hope."

"Mulch found the files," Holly started, her curiosity overtaking the intuition buzzing at the base of her neck, telling her that something was seriously wrong. No matter, she reassured herself. He has nowhere to go, and I am the one who is armed. There is no danger here. But how wrong she was.

"All those papers," she continued. "So many of them about me, about Artemis. And Mariana getting captured. Why are you doing this, what do you want from me?"

Sool chuckled in the manner of a grandparent explaining a simple matter to their grandchild. "I presume you're remembering how I seemed to have it in for you all those years, leading the charge with those tribunals. But let's not bring up old grudges, Miss Short. That is behind us, all superficial. What is important is the matter at hand.

"Don't you realize, Miss Short, that you and that infuriating Fowl boy were the only people standing between Opal Koboi and her plots for world domination, all these years? If it had not been for you, Haven would be ruled by her, a fact that Vinyaya seems to mention daily. Of course, most of Haven admires you for it, nowadays, though favors change quickly, as we have both discovered.

"But what if you and Fowl were dead?" Sool smirked, clearly savoring the thought. "Then all my great plans would be realized. And yes, I do mean world domination, as I am sure you already suspect. Naturally, I tried it the legal way at first, as did dear Opal, rising through the ranks, slowly gaining power. But people like you, Miss Short, have always stood in my way, your silly principles of decency annihilating my dreams! And after all, your human friend is correct: illegal is much faster and I cannot wait forever.

"And so I learned about you and Artemis Fowl, Miss Short, and gathered more information about you than perhaps any have ever. Why, I suspect that I know you better than even you know yourself! To defeat one's enemy, one must know the enemy. And so I discovered your greatest weaknesses. You are far too impulsive, Miss Short, always acting on your emotions, as you've done today. It is indeed both your best trait and your worst, depending upon the judge; Julius used to call it intuition, but I always knew it was simply recklessness. And Artemis Fowl, as I am sure you I've realized, is far too cocky for his own good. His ego almost spelled the end for his bodyguard Butler and our entire civilization as well, once, as you well remember.

"Now that I have collected this knowledge of you and your accomplices, Miss Short, I know the best, and perhaps, only way to defeat you," he finished. It was only then that Holly realized the great danger she was in.

Holly's reflexes were swift, but Sool's contraption was quicker. With the touch of a single button hidden beneath the armrest of his chair, a reinforced pod enveloped him, just a fraction of a moment before Holly's laser beam managed to reach him. One other thing also rose from the newly excavated floor tiles: a small metal egg featuring a blinking green timer.

"Don't bother running, Miss Short," Sool advised, through his escape pod's mikes. "That is a pre-focused, micro-bio-bomb, improved by Nobel Prize nominated physicist, Steven Moreau. Beautiful, isn't it? I must tell you; this is one issue that Opal was most certainly correct on; self destruct is always a most useful thing to have. And yes, I also learned a great deal from my predecessors."

"This was all a trap, wasn't it?" Holly said, knowing the answer. "You knew what we were going to do. 9-11 was never your plan after all, but just to lure us in, believing we were running out of time. And we fell for it."

"Exactly," Sool's wide smile was still visible through the thick layer of glass and steel encasing him. "Though you _are_ running out of time. Sixty seconds to live, Miss Short."

With those lovely parting words, his pod launched straight through the ceiling, propelling him far enough away from the deadly blast that would ensue in just less than a minute.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Oooh, bad situation, isn't it? And a beautiful cliffhanger, I personally think it's my most suspenseful so far. And see, I told you this thing was far from over...no, this is just a taste of the real action which is still to come. Plus, to the A/H shippers out there, don't worry, it's coming. There will be quite major A/H in the next chapter I think, and peak in the chapter after that, if everything goes according to plan. Though it does seem like my plans change with every chapter...

You know the drill- I just have to ask, or beg, for reviews...So, please take a moment of your life to make an aspiring writer very, very happy?

Until next weekend,

Lily


	11. Being Dead

**Disclaimer:** Don't own anyone, 'cept for Mariana who's being a real pain right now. Blah, blah...

**Author's Note:** So, I'm back. I should warn you- I haven't had a lot of time to work on this chapter even though about half of it was prewritten, so be prepared for a few grammatical errors. Grammar has never been my strong point, to say in the least. Oh yes, and A/H shippers will be quite pleased by the end of this chapter, I hope. This is where the MAJOR A/H starts, if you know what I mean ;).

Oh, and thank you, thank you, thank you for all those pretty reviews! It kicked me over a hundred and more! I've never gotten anywhere close that with any of my drabbles or oneshots before, this being my first chaptered fic. Amazing, just amazing.

And now, to the actual story:

* * *

**Chapter 11 Being Dead**

Sixty seconds to live. It wasn't a particularly great circumstance for anyone to be in, even those who are typically in incredibly dangerous situations. But thankfully, Holly hadn't survived a dozen or so life-threatening situations on luck alone. And so far, she hadn't died yet. Well, only once…

Almost reflexively, Holly immediately hoisted herself up by the newly excavated hole in the ceiling with one hand, loading her Neutrino with a locator tablet with the other. The tablet was of Foaly's invention, of course, and conveniently made of a sticky gel-like substance, easily attached to the tip of a piton. Upon hitting the target, it would quickly dissolve but send signals to the receiver for up to 72 hours. One shot towards the quickly receding escape pod was all she needed and Holly Short was not known for missing. From this distance, she couldn't be sure, but Holly was relatively certain that her aim had been true. Now, she could pursue Sool at her leisure, though that was providing that she or anyone else survived..

"Sool's set up a bio-bomb set to hit in about fifty seconds," she said very quickly into her helmet mikes. "Trouble, grab the unconscious sentries and get in the escape shuttle, stat. Juliet, get my sister and anyone else still in here and join them."

"What about you and Artemis?" Juliet asked, her concern evident by the strain in her voice.

"We'll be fine, just go!" Holly said, scanning the room for anything that could possibly provide any protection against solinium flares. "Quickly!"

Think, think, she told herself as she stared at the timer, which proved to be extremely unhelpful. 50, 49… She directed her gaze a notch downward…the floors!

If Sool stored his bio-bombs down there, he would want to make sure that he, on the other side of them was protected. It generally isn't a good idea to be living so close to solinium devices, given that there was a chance, however small, that there might be overspill from the devices. And Sool certainly did care about himself, if not for anyone else.

Ah, whatever, Holly thought, heaving the device back into the opening in the floor tiles where it came from. The floor tiles wasn't likely to be able to contain a full blast for long, though it might stall the progress of solinium for a few moments. It certainly couldn't do any harm to try.

With no time to waste, she sprinted down the hall at a speed that would've shamed an Olympian, snatching one very surprised mud boy by the collar as she passed the control room and the pair ran towards the nearest aboveground exit.

"What's going on?" Artemis managed as he gasped for breath.

"It was all a trap!" Holly said, still reeling from the realization herself. "Bio-bomb's set to detonate in about thirty seconds."

"What?"

"Don't panic," Holly panted, as she half-dragged Artemis up an escape ladder. "We'll fly. Just hold on."

"So Sool escaped?" Artemis attempted to catch up on recent events.

"Yes, that's what I'm trying to tell you!" Holly said, taking up sharply, causing Artemis's words to shoot back into his throat from the sudden increase of altitude. "Now, could we please continue this conversation at a later date?"

Her words could not have been better timed, as the bio-bomb chose that moment to detonate, covering the hilltop in a deadly, blue solinium-based light. Holly pushed her wings to the utmost limit and Artemis didn't even protest, propelling them out of range. The pair landed atop a neighboring mountaintop where they could clearly watch the last of the solinium flares flash and fade before them.

"Then, Sool believes we're dead?" Artemis asked, already concocting a Plan B. And being dead had possibilities.

"Yes, I suppose so," Holly answered, craning her neck to see if anyone would emerge from the blue-rinsed shuttleport. "Your little 9-11 theory was exactly what Sool expected us to think. He's been studying us, you know. It was all a trap."

"Then we have time. Sool would need longer to travel to wherever his true base is and put his plan in motion," Artemis deduced. "If only we knew where he is."

"We do."

"Pardon me?"

"I shot a locator tablet onto his escape pod when he fled. Or at least, I think I got it," Holly explained, still watching the now perfectly tranquil shuttleport. Trouble's team must've gotten out in time, she told herself, they were close enough to the shuttle, after all. But what about Mariana? And Juliet and Vein? Had everyone made it?

Artemis seemed to read her thoughts, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure they'll all be alright. Juliet and Trouble are more than capable."

For a moment, they stood this way, each taking comfort in the fact that in this unpredictable silence, they at least had each other. Holly rested her head against Artemis's shoulder.

"Let's get closer," Holly said suddenly. "The flares are gone now, it's safe to go back in and…see."

Artemis nodded in agreement. The words they both refused to say, the possibility they both refused to acknowledge rang out in the silence: what if the rest of the group were dead? What if they were truly alone?

* * *

A blue rinse is immensely powerful, and it will kill, without question, without exceptions, anything in its path. But yet, when it is all over, the landscape, the structures are still standing and nothing physical has really changed, giving a false aura of tranquility. Except for the fact that every breathing soul, even the tiniest fruit fly, has met their untimely death. 

Of course, as with all things, there is a trick to escaping a solinium flare. And it's incredibly simple in conception, if terribly difficult to accomplish: outrun it. However, it is indeed possible, as one Holly Short has proved, even with a simple set of wings, and therefore, it is ceratinly possible with the use of a shuttle. Improbable, perhaps, but not impossible.

It was on this presumption that Artemis and Holly slowly descended back into the shuttleport, holding on to even the slightest hope that their companions may still be alive. In absolute silence, they navigated their way through the eerily vacant hallways, to the shuttle docks. There they waited, knowing that if the retrieval team's shuttle had indeed eluded the flares, they would return. And if not…Artemis could not even stomach the mere thought of the possibility.

His thoughts immediately turned to Juliet. She was every bit as skilled and as strong as her older brother was in his younger years, but in some ways, she was that same playful teenager. And for all her talk of dramatic wrestling matches, she had never faced real danger before as Butler had.

Artemis shook his head, as if that would clear his heart of the emotions flooding through it. It was stunning that he, once the coldest, most indifferent twelve-year-old one could find in all of Ireland or perhaps even all of Europe could be standing here, tears nearly threatening to overwhelm him. But Juliet was, even if he would never admit it, the older sister he never had.

Suddenly, Artemis was exceedingly glad that Holly was here with him. As devastating as losing Juliet or Butler, or even his pesky little brothers would be, he could not imagine losing Holly. It was unthinkable to ponder a day when he might not be able to hear her voice, her laugh in his ear, to never again be the subject of her witty retorts, or even the unwilling target of her fist.

Almost instinctively, he took her hand in his, squeezing it slightly. But Holly didn't seem to notice; at any rate, her thoughts were elsewhere as well.

The last thing her mother had ever said to her before she died was to take care of Mariana. After all, Holly was the only family she had in the world now. And so Holly and her mother may not have always gotten on in the best of terms but she was still her mother, and it was still her promise, her burden. Because of it, she had scarcely told her sister about anything that had happened to her in the past ten years, not until her disappearance a few years back when she could no longer avoid it. But still, Mariana had gotten wrapped up in this mess, in her battle.

And then there was Trouble. What if he was dead, what if they were all dead? She and Trouble had been friends for almost as long as she'd been alive and what if the last words they had ever exchanged were in anger?

"Look," Artemis whispered, interrupting her thoughts and pointing into the depths of the dark chute. "I think I saw a light on the wall."

Holly craned her neck, straining to see in the almost total darkness. But then, so suddenly, the lights came closer, two white headlights revealing themselves like a beacon in the shadows. The shuttle cruised slowly to one of the docks only a few seconds later. The door slide open smoothly and out emerged…

"Mariana," Holly breathed, clasping her younger sister to her chest in relief. She quickly released her, and asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Mariana answered, rubbing at her arm from her sister's tight grasp.

The others quickly disembarked and while Artemis received a very surprising embrace from Juliet, Trouble stood back, stoic as always.

For a moment, Holly looked merely relieved, but she quickly folded her arms, her voice filled with exasperation. "Do you have any idea what kind of danger you put yourself and everyone else in?"

"Oh yes, just blame me, why don't you," Mariana retorted, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"This isn't a game!" Holly exclaimed, effectively silencing Mariana. "There's a time and place for jokes, but in case you haven't noticed, this isn't it. There are lives at stake, something you don't seem to understand. Can't you stop fooling around for just one second to take a look at how incredibly _stupid_ you're being?"

Mariana stared, astonished at her older sister. True, she had always been the more frivolous of the two, but Holly was famed for her sharp sarcasm and less-than-serious manner in which she approached everything. Now, the merry twinkle was gone from her eyes, and was replaced with the intense concentration of a surgeon in midst of a procedure. It was side of her sister that Mariana had never seen before. She had never before considered that perhaps that the Holly she knew was not the same one who'd managed to save all of Haven four times, and counting.

"And what, you don't make mistakes?" Mariana couldn't help but mutter, a hint of the old resentment still lingering in her voice.

"Of course I make mistakes," Holly replied, her voice softer now, "But my mistakes lead to people getting hurt, even killed. I can't afford to be so rash anymore when there is so much at stake."

Holly closed her eyes for a moment, realizing for the first time how contradictory she sounded. A maelstrom of memories flooding through her head: she recalled Juliet's words, tinted with the barest whiff of disappointment._ You used to be a bit of a wild card yourself_. Had she really changed so much over the last few years? Were the days really gone when she didn't hesitate to take on a troll, all to save humans, or dive headfirst to meet the dolphins, just for the fun of it?

"Where's Lauren?" she finally asked, eager to change the subject.

"She—" Mariana paused, unable to say the words. Admitting it would be too final, too inerasable.

"Oh, no," Holly muttered, sensing what she was about to hear.

"She's dead," Mariana finally said, her voice breaking, a maverick tear sliding down the curve of her cheek.

Holly rested her head in her hand, unwilling to accept the consequences of what had just happened. For all she'd done, it had happened again. A death of a friend, the blood spilled over her hands.

A familiar hand clasped her shoulder. "It wasn't your fault," Artemis said, as if reading her thoughts. But Holly ignored him.

"Look, Mariana," she finally said. "We could have all died tonight. Your actions have consequences and it's time you realized that."

"I know," Mariana replied, the tears running unabashedly now. "It was all my fault; she was trying to save me."

There was a long, awkward silence in which no one knew quite what to say. No one had the heart to further berate the sobbing girl, but no one could possibly refute her claim, either.

"Go get cleaned up, and get some sleep," Holly finally said, struggling to regain her composure. "And that's an order."

"You can't order me around," Mariana retorted, characteristically impudent in spite of the circumstances.

"We're on a mission," Holly replied. "And I'm your commanding officer. So get back in the shuttle."

"Fine," Mariana rolled her eyes, and stalked away.

"Well?" Trouble stepped forward, his tone unmistakably accusatory.

"Well, what?" Holly sighed, clearly exasperated and exhausted.

"Well, you led us into a trap, and almost killed us all," Trouble said, his voice hard and merciless. "Do you dare say that you didn't have prior knowledge?"

Holly raised her eyes to meet his, her expression burning with fury. "How dare you?"

"It wasn't her fault," Artemis stepped forward to defend her. "None of us could have possibly envisaged this. That is the crux of the issue— that Sool somehow managed to predict _us_, not the other way around. There is nothing that _anyone_, especially Holly, could've done to prevent it."

"This isn't kindergarten, Fowl," Trouble retorted harshly. "Someone has to take responsibility."

"Then it won't be Holly taking the blame," Artemis replied, equally adamant. "You and your bureaucratic Council have used her as a scapegoat for long enough. Perhaps this time, you ought to try it and see how it feels. And perhaps, along the way, we could put Grub's life at risk."

"What?" Grub objected at the mention of his name, only to be silenced by the livid expression on his elder brother's face. Most of the LEP knew not to cross Trouble Kelp in instances such as these; however, Artemis was not quite so informed.

Thankfully, Holly intervened between the two sparing males. "This is not the time for politics," she said, glaring at Trouble. "And this is definitely not the time to be picking a fight with our own allies," she said, turning to Artemis. Taking a few deep breaths, freezing the flood of emotions for the time being, Holly asked, "Now where to?"

"Fowl Manor," Artemis answered immediately. "Sool clearly believes that we could not have escaped this time, being devoid of military knowledge. So, naturally, he believes us to be dead, and this time, we will humor him. No one is to contact anyone on an unsecured line, or leave any traces for Sool and his cronies to discover. If we manage to keep Sool under the assumption that we are dead, then we have time. We can recuperate at Fowl Manor and devise another plan."

"Why not launch another mission now, Fowl?" Trouble demanded. "Can't think of a better plan than the last one?"

"Au contraire, _Commander_," Artemis's voice dripped with disdain, sparking a few glares from Holly, "I undoubtedly can. But that doesn't matter as what we truly need is a plan, not of my construct, but one utterly different, and therefore unpredictable by Sool's standards. Besides, look around— can't you see that your team is in no shape for yet another mission?"

His words were true— the majority of Trouble's team looked dead on their feet, having been awake and in action for almost twenty-four hours and counting. It was time to convalesce, not dive into yet another surely futile fight.

"Fine," Trouble spat. Though he detest the idea of being on Fowl's home turf, the state of his team was unacceptable. "We'll go to Fowl Manor."

* * *

There is a short-lived hour or so when even all the youth of the town have retired from the nightlife, and the earliest of risers have not yet stirred in their slumber. It is the period of utmost darkness, just before the scalding sun makes its way through the cloudless summer skies once more. And it was in that still of the night, the rare, brief period of perfect darkness and silence was when the group finally departed. 

They probably had at least a few days, Artemis surmised, while Sool traveled to wherever his new base was and got things in order to launch his ultimate plan. Besides, Sool would be in no hurry, given that he believed them all to be dead. And being dead could certainly prove to be useful in these situations.

For the time being, though, Artemis sat down in the copilot's chair, causing Holly to roll her eyes in annoyance, as she expertly piloted the shuttle into the skies. The shields were highly efficient, immediately blending in with the nighttime sky that carpeted picturesque Nice.

"You know, I meant what I said earlier," Artemis admitted. "About it not being your fault."

At first Holly didn't answer, her eyes fixed on programming the coordinates of Fowl Manor. "That's nice of you, Artemis," she said at last. "But if I had just been a bit more careful…"

"How could you have possibly known?" Artemis said. "It was circumstance, nothing more."

"How are you always so perfect, Artemis?" she asked in mock exasperation.

"And why do you always blame yourself?" he returned, though more seriously. "I think it's because those chauvinistic idiots on the Council have you always blamed you, and you've begun to believe them," he said, answering his own question.

"Don't you dare analyze me," Holly retorted. "It's really aggravating."

"Because I'm right?" Artemis smirked in his classic haughty manner.

Holly had no reply for that, instead rolling her eyes in exasperation and trying to think of an actual witty retort…

"Very close, I'd expect," Artemis replied, constantly managing to come off as extremely conceited. Perhaps he shouldn't have pushed his luck, though, because this time Holly did have a riposte for him, in the form of a swift punch.

"For goodness sakes," Artemis muttered as he picked himself off the floor, dusting off the lapels on his blazer. But Holly just giggled, switching the shuttle on autopilot, just to stare at him in amusement. It was as if all the emotion, all the worries of the past twenty-four hours had been released into the air and was now swirling about like gun smoke, slowly but surely dissipating.

"I'd almost forgotten how good that feels," Holly said, still laughing.

"What, using me as a punching bag?" Artemis inquired tartly, rather irked.

"No, just to watch you, usually so prim and proper, get all tousled," Holly answered, smiling genuinely for the first time since she had learned of Lauren's death.

"And it's good to see you smile," Artemis remarked. Before he could help it, he gently brushed her cheek. Holly looked slightly surprised but not unpleasantly so. "You ought to try it more often."

"And look who's talking," she retorted. "Mr. Impassive himself."

"But it's you that looks so beautiful," Artemis said, though it sounded corny even to himself. Yet, it was so true; a lovely face on a simply incredible person.

"Looks are an accident," Holly said. "Besides, you do know that that's about the most common and the least genuine compliment a guy can possibly use?"

"Really?" Artemis raised one eyebrow. "Does it still work?"

Holly shrugged. Their faces were immeasurably close by now, their eyes not daring to leave each other for even a second, as if afraid the moment would be broken. Grinning, Holly whispered so that only they could hear, "Only for you." And then, so sudden yet so predictable, they touched in a first kiss, just as the sun peaked over the Alps, filling the Mediterranean skies with light.

* * *

**Author's Note:** For those of you who are now muttering "corny, really corny..." under your breath, I personally agree. But truthfully, I couldn't think of anything any less corny and I think this way I've kept them all in character. After all, Artemis is hardly the most romantic guy of the century, no? So, I think it works...hopefully. At least it serves the purpose because I really want to move on with this fic. But tell me what you think! 

Also, sorry to say but I don't know when I'm going to be able to get the next chapter up. I have an insanely hard AP Euro test, Mock Trial auditions, and PSAT prep coming up. And the next chapter is not at all written; as in a completely blank Microsoft Word doc. So, I really don't know...hopefully I'll be able to put in some time this weekend but my APs are really getting busy, and I'm going out of town.

And, please, please make me very happy and review! S'il tu plait? (Ah-ha! I have practiced French now!) Donne-moi des...reviews?

Au revoir!

Lily


	12. Unorthodox Dealings

**Disclaimer:** What, d'you think I bought Arty & co. from EC? You think I'm rich?

**Author's Note: **I am very, very sorry about the lack of updates lately but because of my crazy schedule, I've only finished writing this chapter today. And it's long! But since I don't want to wait until next week to post it, it's...a bit rough because I didn't do much editing. So, sorry if you catch some stupid errors.

Also...if you're under, say, twelve, or you're a bit...immature, perhaps you ought to not read the last bit of this chapter. It gets a bit racy, you see, but only a little, and only suggestively so. But I thought I'd warn you, just in case.

* * *

**Chapter 12 Unorthodox Dealings**

As the sun began its daily journey over the green hills of Eire, others were just ending theirs. Tucked between the crests of the untouched countryside in Northern Ireland is a quiet little venue, dotted only with a few grazing cattle. Of course, just over the nearest ridge was a hulking monstrosity that the muttering locals called derisively, "that Fowl place, with those wealthy snobs", but the still of nature remained undisturbed in this diminutive gorge between Fowl and the nearest residence of any sort.

It was here that our motley crew descended from their shuttles, which miraculously seemed to appear from thin air only moments beforehand. It is only due to an extremely fortunate fact that no one wished to live particularly close to the rather obnoxious Fowl family that allowed two rather bulky shuttles to land unnoticed, even if shields were employed whenever possible. At any rate, the nearby cattle seemed entirely unconcerned by the minor disturbance, chewing their cud perfectly serenely.

One by one, the group stumbled out of the shuttle, looking positively dead on their feet. With slow, lethargic steps, they made their way up the knoll, cursing all the while that Fowl Manor just simply _had_ to be built on such an inaccessible spot. And of course, the heir to the manor interjected that, _of course,_ that was the Norman tactic at the time, to view dangers from afar, didn't they know?

Not that it mattered, because a trek up a hill is a trek up a hill, no matter what the reason. But their complaints were soon silenced by another anomaly: As the group trudged closer to their destination, it became clear that there was already someone there. The monstrously weighty doors swung open, revealing an incredibly large figure, and a rather petite one. The presence of the six-and-a-half-foot towering figure could only be expected and was in fact welcomed, but what of the other figure that stood on the threshold, awaiting their arrival?  
"Just who is that, Fowl?" Trouble asked, his mood not improving by this latest revelation.

"Artemis's bodyguard Butler, of course," Juliet replied from the back of the pack, quite unfazed. "But what about that other person…?"

"Your parents don't happen to be home, do they?" Holly asked warily. Despite the fact that in his moment of despair, Butler had revealed the People's existence to the Fowls, they had been mind-wiped into believing that their son had been away on an exchange student program for three years. Therefore, it certainly wouldn't be helpful for the couple to be shocked by the arrival of creatures that were not supposed to exist, if you listened to humans, at any rate.

"Nah, they're still on vacation in the Bahamas," Juliet answered. "And Myles and Becket are with them, thank God."

"Then, who—?"

"Don't worry, Holly," Artemis interjected, struggling to catch up to the two. "It's Minerva. I called her."

"Minerva?" Holly and Juliet reacted simultaneously, each then muttering curses of several different languages under their breath. But those cannot be repeated here, as they are surely to be censored immediately by any watchful parent or librarian. After all, if it's possible to ban Huck Finn…

Artemis chuckled at his one-time rival's unpopularity. In truth, even he was rather irritated at Minerva as of late, namely because of her foolish contribution in Sool's scheme that had very nearly cost his and Holly's lives. And _she_ was supposed to be a genius! The oversight could almost be considered as an insult to all genii, even those who certainly did have enough sense not to participate in the creation of a weapon of mass destruction for a person unknown.

"Believe me, given recent developments, I am not exactly chuffed to see her either," Artemis admitted. "But if Sool can predict a plan of _my _construct, then the only way to deceive him will be to utilize someone else's brainchild."

"Then why not Foaly?" Holly asked, certainly not eager to even spend another second with the irksome French girl. Perhaps it was because Minerva's foolishness had almost killed her, or perhaps because Artemis had once dated her. No, Holly waved away the second thought, I'm definitely not jealous of Minerva. Artemis and I only kissed once…or twice. And neither of us has even mentioned it. Yet.

"Too predictable," Artemis objected. "But with Minerva, Sool believes her to be on his side, though in reality, she is perfectly willing to assist, probably due to guilt from the trouble that she had caused."

"So, you're saying that you're just turning it over to _her_?" Juliet questioned incredulously.

"Not hardly," Artemis replied, a characteristically vampire-ish smile playing about his lips. "I don't trust her quite so much. But at least her presence will give my scheme a few elements that are sufficiently unlike me."

"Like the existence of a Plan B?" Holly teased.

"I _did_ prepare several contingency plans to recover my C-Cube, you know," Artemis demurred.

"Only after Butler was shot," Holly muttered beneath her breath, causing Juliet to giggle in amusement. Still amazingly vigorous for people who haven't slept for at least twenty-four hours, the two girls dashed up the last few steps to the gates of Fowl Manor, leaving Artemis in their wake, grumbling about Armani loafers and grass stains.

When Artemis finally arrived at the gates, the rest of the group had already retreated inside, having received an invitation earlier. Thankfully, Butler and Minerva remained, though Butler's less-than-gentle bear hug wasn't helpful to the young man's aching muscles.

"Are you okay?" Butler finally said, pulling away and surveying his charge from head to toe.

"Surprisingly, yes," Artemis replied "It was only on luck that anyone survived at all. We shall have to be far more careful next time."

"Next time?" Butler's concern was exceeding palpable.

"There must be a next time, old friend," Artemis insisted adamantly. "If we do not suppress Sool's threat now, not only will Haven be threatened, but our lives will never be safe from him again."

Minerva chose this moment to step forward, her head hung in shame. "I'm sorry, Artemis. This was all my fault. I don't know how I could've been so foolish."

Artemis froze. Though Minerva had regretted her involvement in the Hybras affair, he had never heard her apologize so genuinely. After all, genii (especially the smug, conceited ones) were not known for their authentic remorse.

"It wouldn't have mattered," Artemis finally replied. "Sool has more than enough resources to achieve his ends, with or without you. What is important now is that we devise a foolproof plan to defeat him, and quickly."

"Yes, of course," Minerva nodded. "Foaly told me all about the situation, if somewhat reluctantly."

"Artemis," Butler intervened. "You ought to get some rest, first and foremost. You can't think up a decent plan in this state. Go on and get some sleep. Minerva and Foaly can start without surely."

For a moment, Artemis considered the comfort of his own bed, imagined skinking into plush pillows and feathery comforter. It was an alluring thought, but not nearly as powerful as is guilt. After all, Holly was right, this battle was theirs and only theirs and it wasn't right putting other people at risk for their mistakes.

"I will, Butler. Just as soon as I take care of a few things." he muttered and began to traipse up the stairs, wondering for the first time why people loved erecting absurdly tall buildings.

* * *

The unavoidable lure of sleep seemed to capture every soul in the house as Fowl Manor was reduced to an edifice chock full of quiescent, lethargic occupants, despite the fact that it was morning. The silence spread and fell over the manor like a heavy winter quilt, enveloping everything in its way that to even utter a single word too loudly seemed somehow irreverent. The quiet was only punctuated with the quiet talk of Minerva, Butler, Artemis, and over the airwaves, Foaly. 

"Holly did actually get my locator tablet to stick to the escape pod," Foaly informed them. "I've traced the ion residue to a building just below the Cape Horn, rather removed from Haven. You can imagine that even underground, with excellent central heating, it's incredibly cold there. But it is incredibly isolated and therefore a good choice for a headquarters. There aren't even that many humans living that far south."

"So, he's stopped there?" Butler asked. "And there's no way this can be another ploy to trick us into believing that this is his actual destination."

"I doubt it," Foaly shook his head. "He's been there since six in the morning and hasn't moved since. Besides, I've been monitoring the energy sources coming from the place and he hasn't got much in there. Only a small escape pod and the basic resources. Clearly, the actual bio-bomb he intends to use isn't with him, but it can be sent and detonated by remote."

"Exactly what is that place?" Minerva asked. "Not another abandoned shuttleport?"

"No, no," Foaly replied, typing a few codes into his ergonomic keyboard. "It's a residence, as far as I can tell. I've hacked into the old LEP database and searched for anything Sool might have to do it and from what I found; the place used to belong to a reclusive relative a couple millennia ago and hasn't been used for at least five centuries. But anyways, Sool's inherited it, so it's technically his property."

"Millennia?" Minerva looked skeptical. "Surely nothing could survive that long and still be in use? Especially the more modern conveniences. PCV pipe will eventually disintegrate from residue and erosion if left untouched, for an instance."

Foaly stared at the girl for a moment, looking as if he could not comprehend the words spilling out of her mouth. After a few beats of silence, he erupted in laughter, breaking the quiet of the manor, and causing Butler to shush him before he promptly woke up all of its occupants.

"PCV pipe!" Foaly finally managed to choke out. "Sooooo barbaric! As if anyone actually uses that in Haven, even 3000 years ago."

Naturally, being the typically sanctimonious genii, Minerva did not appreciate being laughed at, especially by some conceited pony-fairy hybrid who demanded on dictating the terms of this meeting with his insufferable sarcasm.

"Mon Dieu," she sighed. "Can we please move on?"

Artemis, surprisingly, silent through this strained exchange. Finally, he spoke, "If I were Sool, I would realize that the bio-bomb involves an incredible amount of energy, and therefore, very easily detected. Can you imagine how he could bypass that obvious problem?"

Foaly caught the drift, "You don't mean that he could've put it next to something with far more power than his bio-bomb? Like a power plant?"

"Exactly," Artemis grinned, his pale complexion glowing quite eerily in the dark. "Especially as if I am not very much mistaken, the People depend heavily on nuclear power. Cold fusion, no less."

"How do you know that?" Foaly frowned, immediately planning to petition for a higher budget to improve his already paranoid level of surveillance.

"Cold fusion?" Minerva objected incredulously. "But that's supposedly impossible. Fusion takes an incredible amount of energy to even get started. Even I haven't discovered the secret to it and I've been studying nuclear power since I was nine."

Artemis rolled his eyes and pressed the mute button on his PC as Foaly once again erupted into hysterics over the mud girl's naivety of fairy technology. "Let's assume it's possible, shall we?" he said, "Anyways, fusion releases a massive amount of energy so it would be an excellent shield for a weapon."

Foaly had recovered from his frenzy enough to say, "But there are several power plants near Haven. Who knows where it's hidden?"

Immeasurably pleased at his own brilliance, Artemis revealed his characteristic vampire smile. "Now, that is simplicity itself, Foaly, you ought to know," he replied. "The key is to seek _where it is not_."

"Huh?" the room's other occupants reacted simultaneously.

"All nuclear plants involve mass generators which produce energy 24/7 to power Haven, yes?" Artemis prompted Foaly's curt nod. "But obviously, a bio-bomb would not produce any energy at any time. Therefore, you must search for an area of a plant that does not generate any energy at any time."

"Not bad, for a mud boy," Foaly conceded, and proceeded to run a scan for precisely that.

"Well, get blueprints for the building if you can," Artemis said, yawning from his own weariness. "Or at least the coordinates and perhaps we'll have time to run a reconnaissance."

"You ought to get to sleep, Artemis," Butler advised, escorting him to the door. "We'll take care of everything."

"Very well," Artemis finally agreed, lumbering out of the room rather like a malfunctioning automaton, colliding with quite a few walls.

"But what about the plan?" Minerva interrupted, looking quite startled.

"You tell me, Minerva," Artemis said, shrugging. "Clearly my acumen is not safe from penetration; let's try yours, shall we?"

* * *

By the time the sun was high in the sky, the manor's occupants began to stir, one by one, awaking to the immensely bright light streaming through its windows. In the style of a genuine medieval fort, the tall, slender portholes, perfect for shooting arrows through in times of siege, cast kaleidoscope patterns on the thick carpet. It was to these serene images that Juliet woke. 

The young woman sighed, still too sluggish to get out of bed. It was such a relief to be back in Fowl Manor, to the place where she had spent most of her childhood. For Juliet, a girl who'd lived in six countries and visited countless others, it was difficult to name one as her home. But she had never felt more at home then she did at that moment, a rare respite in between such drastic events.

A soft knock on the door sounded Butler's arrival. Juliet yawned languidly and called, "Come in."

Butler entered, bearing a cup of steaming tea and sandwiches. "Good sleep?"

"The best," Juliet answered, glancing out the window. "Let me guess, we're leaving soon?"

"Surprisingly, no," Butler replied. "Artemis believes there's no immediate as Sool thinks you're all dead. So I suppose you've got at least till tomorrow morning."

There was a beat of silence and then Butler plunged, "You've got to be more careful, Juliet. Wrestling is one thing, but this?"

"Oh, please, if you've done it, so can I," Juliet countered. "I'm every bit as capable and you know it."

"But not half as mature," Butler noted.

"I'm not a kid anymore, Dom," she sighed. "Even if sometimes I wish I could still act like one."

"What do you mean?"

"I've got to quit wrestling after this, don't I?" Juliet asked. "You're pushing fifty, Dom, even without the extra fifteen years. There's no way you can guard Artemis anymore and you can bet he's going to continue doing insanely dangerous things. It's up to me now, isn't it?"

"Only you can decide that, Juliet," Butler answered. "Artemis can always hire someone else, even if it isn't a Butler."

Juliet stood up, staring out the narrow slit of a window. As much as home Fowl Manor had always been to her, it had always been just as much of a prison that she was constantly trying to escape.

"But I can hardly break all these years of tradition, can I?" Juliet said rhetorically. In fact, it wasn't even a question, more of a statement than anything. It was the future that had always lay in store of for her, even if nowadays, she no longer desired it as she had as a naïve child. And so, she had fled, to America, to Mexico, to a million places as a wrestler, but of course, there's no escape from destiny.

* * *

Sleep is normally rather difficult to capture when thoughts run through one's head at a dizzying pace that would stun the average human. Nevertheless, even a genius's brain must rest after laboring for so long and Artemis slept soundly, that is, until he too was disturbed by the presence of another being in his room. 

"Minerva?" he questioned, rubbing his eyes to discern the blonde girl who stood in iron dark of his room. "Haven't you heard of knocking?"

Minerva ignored the question. "Look Artemis, I don't know why, but you seem to enjoy ignoring me."

"I thought you didn't care about me?" Artemis said. "You do realize I was listening behind that glass back in Haven."

"I don't, I just…" Minerva paused, her hands shaking uncontrollably. "You know what? You're right. I was so jealous of you all these years and all I wanted was a stupid Nobel Prize, as if that would justify everything. Pride comes with intelligence, I suppose. You have to understand, that mattered to me more than anything else, even your life."

"Fine, I forgive you," Artemis shrugged. 'Is that what you want to hear?"

"No, I…" Minerva hesitated, her eyes fixated on the Tunisian rugs, and suddenly blurted out, "I love you, okay? I hate you but I love you."

"Excuse me?"

"That's right, you sanctimonious Irish idiot," Minerva spat. "I fell in love with you, against my better judgment. You blinded me of what truly mattered, and I could never forgive you for that. If only you hadn't come along and distracted me from my work, _I_ would be the youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Prize."

"I see," Artemis replied coolly. "Ambition is still what drives you, and the lure of material success is still all-important. I was hoping perhaps your willingness to help us was proof that you had changed. Clearly, I was mistaken."

With those parting words, Artemis sidestepped Minerva and traversed into the familiar corridor, not waiting to hear the French girl's retort, providing she had managed to devise one. He had heard manufactured replies for far too long among his lucrative business associates, and found them to be extremely tiresome after a time. No, tonight, he sought the company of a far more sincere voice.

He found her in the cavernous library, curled up like a cat in an armchair, a hardback resting on her lap and a cup of coffee placed precariously on the plush armrest. Deeply engrossed in her book, she didn't even notice as Artemis simply stood at the threshold for several moments, admiring her way her dark copper locks sparkled lustrously in the soft lighting.

"What are you reading?" Artemis inquired, finally crossing the room to join her.

"_To Kill a Mockingbird_," Holly replied, turning a page. "I've read it before though."

"Let me guess," Artemis teased, "When it was first released in 1960?"

"Sadly, yes," Holly grinned. "Developed a sense of humor, by the way?"

"When have I ever not?" Artemis objected. "I was always, by far, the most amusing criminal mastermind one could ever chance to meet."

"Oh yes," Holly said sardonically, "Lollipops, how could I forget? Although I think Opal Koboi and her truffles wins on that particular front."

Artemis could not help but release a chuckle, recalling the maniacal pixie and her inordinate obsession with chocolate. However, those truffles were excellent…

Holly smiled even though thoughts were weighing heavy in her mind. I kissed him, she thought, how could I have done that? Especially when Trouble and I have only just broken up, _and_ in midst of a mission that is so vital to the survival of Haven? The answer was only too obvious, and yet, simultaneously impossible.

The same thought seemed to have crossed Artemis's mind as well because he glanced at her, an uncharacteristically innocent look for the Irish mastermind. In a single fleeting moment, he reached forward, placing his hand among Holly's plethora of red hair, and kissed her.

The porcelain cup fell to the ground and shattered, as Holly stood her arms encircled around Artemis's neck, but she didn't so much as glance its way. Instead, the room's two occupants were far too absorbed with each other, savoring the moment, their single taste of forbidden fruit. But of course, opening that Pandora's Box is scarcely without consequences, a fact neither could fully forget, but instead, chose to ignore, at least for the time being.

"So it wasn't a mistake?" Artemis asked, as soon as the pair paused for breath. That first kiss in the Mediterranean sunrise, so disregarded and unspoken of, was still on his mind, among many other items, evidently.

"Hell, no," Holly rolled her eyes. "I don't make stupid mistakes."

"So says the girl who chooses to snog me when Trouble Kelp is in the vicinity," Artemis raised one eyebrow.

"And what ever happened to that enormous ego of yours?" Holly countered.

"You're right, of course," Artemis replied, his hand sliding down the flawlessly smooth curvature of Holly's waist. "I am worth a million Trouble Kelps."

Holly giggled in spite of herself. "You just keep telling yourself that, Arty."

But in fact, dear Artemis received far more than his own personal assurances that his onetime nemesis and longtime friend had truly abandoned her previous relationship in favor of him. And though what happened next that night had not occurred since the days of the Frond dynasty and was frowned upon even then, neither Artemis nor Holly gave an iota of preponderance to a silly matter such as ancient prejudices. Strange that even such a powerful mind does not stop to consider the consequences of his deeds, (this time destined to be reverberating), but after all, love makes fools of even the most brilliant of genii. (And even if it had not, Artemis Fowl II was not exactly known for his careful pondering of the consequences of his actions.)

All this would prove to be rather inconvenient given that Commander Trouble Kelp just happened to pass by the library at that precise moment. And what he witnessed through the slightly ajar door was…stunning, to say in the least.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Am I correct in assuming that most of my readers are teenagers and mature enough to read "suggestive subject matter"? It's really not that bad, you see, I cut it off, though it will be a running gag latter in the story as to who can find the best word to substitute s--. You'll see. 

Now, a few matters to take care of before I get spontaneously flamed: 1) Yes, it is possible. They're in the same genus, guys, therefore, you can…you know. 2) Artemis isn't a child in my story; in fact, he's 22, if you check the first chapter, and...gasp...still a virgin. (And I imagine Holly to be around 24 in human years, and no doubt, she...well...isn't. Please, even Holly isn't _that_ chaste.) So isn't it high time for dear Arty to have a bit of fun? 3) Yes, I suppose it might be moving a bit too fast, but consider it a one night stand type thing. It happens...right? Besides, they've known each other for years. 4) If you actually think that wasn't enough smut for you, please just imagine it in your mind because I will not be writing it. 5) And, no, I didn't write this scene just for the heck of it; it does have some bearing on the plot.

Also, I apologize to H/T shippers or to people who just think that A/H is "gross". I know this is branching off into totally non-canon territory, but so what? Flame if you like but this is fan fiction…meaning that you can write _anything_! Amazing, no?

And I would like to present a challenge to those of you with a certain amount of brain tissue and time at your discretion. The shattering of the cup is taken from literature elsewhere, in the form of a book, (or rather a series of books) that I've mentioned in one of my author's notes in my drabbles. Hint: the author is Thomas Harris and the allusion comes from what is undeniably his most controverisal scene. Any takers wanting to prove that they're supposedly well read?

Right, so that's it...as always, tell me if I kept everyone IC, if I got the mood right, if the romance was speeding off way too fast, whatever you can think of! How, you ask? Well, there's this miraculous invention called a_ review_! So, please take a moment to dish a short little critique!

Thank you, thank you!

Lily


	13. Trouble With Trouble

**Disclaimer:** In thirteen chapters, when you do you think I started owning it?

**Author's Note:** The good news: I got this chapter up, and (gasp) actually on time, too. The bad news: I didn't't have a lot of time to work on this one either so I had to cut a very romantic part mainly because I just couldn't't perfect it by today. For those of you who are familiar with my writing, you know I shy away from romance- it's definitely my weak point. So, if anyone has tips, they are very welcome to share.

Also, this is a bridging chapter, so not much plot. But I personally liked writing this one since I think it shows human nature and people at their purest, rawest elements. To me, it's fascinating, but I'm guessing a lot of you won't be nearly as interested. So sorry, and next chapter, there will be plot...hopefully.

* * *

**Chapter 13 Trouble With Trouble**

Mornings are generally lazy times, fraught with people muttering obscenities under their breath as they drag themselves from the comfort of their beds only to head off into the world, whether it's to school or work or something far more exciting. But no matter what the destination, everyone starts at the same place, at the soft light of dawn, with the sun casting kaleidoscope patterns on the floor.

It's the place where dreams and reality intersect, the place where all is new and clean. Another day, another battle, another blank canvas on which to paint a masterpiece. It is the art of life, and accessible only to those who understand its fickle intricacies and the fragile balance it holds, especially in these early hours.

After all, it was in these hours of the morning when the pilots donned their gloves, the passengers loaded into the jumbo jets, and a journey of utmost horror began. It was only a decade and a day ago when those planes launched themselves into possibly one of the major landmarks of the world and brought the towers, and along with it, the world, tumbling to the unforgiving ground. And then it was done, splitting the timeline of a country, and the world, into the terms of before and after, never to be the same again. Such is so today.

Holly Short awoke to the light streaming through the tall, Norman windows of Fowl Manor, her head still resting on the chest of none other than Artemis Fowl. For one completely unguarded moment, she merely smiled, and gave a content little sigh; that is, until she was roused enough to realize the circumstances.

Her eyes widened in alarm as she imagined what Vinyaya would say if she could see her perfect little protégé now, barely decent, on the floor with a mud man of all people. Cursing her own lack of foresight and fervently hoping that none of this ever reached the ears of the extremely conservative Council, she quickly flung a jacket over herself and tiptoed into the hall.

Thankfully, it was only a little after six in the morning, and the corridor was absolutely devoid of living beings at a cautious first glance, so Holly quickly hurried down the hall, her bare feet scarcely making a sound on the plush Tunisian carpets. Unfortunately, she wasn't quite careful enough as a familiar voice caught her midway, inquiring, "Going somewhere, Major Short?"

Damn it, Holly muttered beneath her breath. She was at least prudent enough to finish buttoning her blouse before turning around to face none other than Trouble Kelp.

"Had fun last night?" Trouble asked, striding the next ten yards to ward his ex in the manner of a hunter who has sighted his prey.

"Fun?" Holly replied mildly, feigning confusion even though she knew exactly what he was getting at. "If you can call sleeping fun, then, sure; I had a great time."

"Oh, we both know you did a bit more than that," Trouble retorted, clearly struggling to keep his cool.

"And what exactly do you mean by that?" Holly completely disregarded her previously placid manner in favor of a far harsher tone.

"As if you don't know," Trouble spat, his distaste only too clear by his expression.

"I do know this," Holly snapped, "I know you'd make a fine politician, swift boating whenever it suits your purpose."

"But I haven't accused you of anything. It's only your conscience that's speaking," Trouble replied, a sardonic smile on his face.

"Whatever," Holly muttered, shaking her head in apparent revulsion, and turned on her heels, quickly walking away from Trouble. He couldn't possibly have enough real evidence to prove she did anything, Holly surmised, it doesn't matter what he says. "You're all the same bureaucratic, calculating jerks."

"Say what you want," Trouble called out, a silver LEP standard communicator resting on his extended palm. "But Vinyaya would like a word."

Holly stopped dead in her tracks. Wing Commander Vinyaya was a former retrieval officer and a soldier at heart. She knew the danger of superfluous radio contact, and would never interrupt a mission unnecessarily. Only if she had some truly vital news, or in this case, if a particularly alarming tidbit reached her ears, would she make contact. And that was when Holly realized the mountainous size of the dilemma she was faced.

If looks could kill, Trouble Kelp would've been rendered as dead as a doornail, to use clichés, in the moment that Holly swiveled around once again, snatching the communicator from his outstretched hand. Fortunately (or perhaps, unfortunately), the Commander remained alive and kicking; or at least, for now.

It was with such opprobrium that Holly eyed the person she had once been proud to call her friend, who had now callously betrayed her, without an ounce of remorse visible on his handsome countenance. She had once respected him, once liked him, too, but now she felt neither. It was only then that she realized exactly what mere, unadulterated ambition reduced people to. Never had she thought that Trouble Kelp could choose such a Machiavellian path— once upon a time, she had thought their paths were one— but now, everything had changed. It was a parting of the ways, and there was no turning back.

As suddenly as this whole affair culminated, the moment broke as Trouble left, leaving Holly standing alone, and not quite ready to face the surely harsh words Commander Vinyaya would have for her. Steeling herself for yet another widely publicized debacle, she turned to the live feed on the communicator, curtly saying, "Yes?"

Vinyaya sensed the budding repugnance and when Holly glared at the screen, only marginally less furious, she immediately cut to the chase. "Is it true what they say, Holly?" she asked, her expression mingled with anxiety, disappointment, and perhaps even a tinge of amusement.

"That depends," Holly replied, uncharacteristically cautious. "Who's 'they' and what do they say?"

"Only one person, actually, by the name of Trouble Kelp," Vinyaya raised one eyebrow. "But I expect you know exactly what the accusation is, given…eh…_recent events_ between the two of you."

If she had not been speaking to the Councilwoman and Section Eight Commander, Holly would not have been able to repress the curses that would've spilled from her mouth. Needless to say, Vinyaya noticed and immediately knew the answer.

At first the commander sighed, and looked for a moment as if she was steeling herself to say something, but halted. Instead she asked, "What's the temperature of liquid nitrogen, Holly?"

"Huh?" This was not exactly the reaction she expected. "Uh, about negative 200° Celsius, I think."

"And that's pretty cold, isn't it?"

"Uh, yes?"

"Then freeze it, Holly," she ordered, "Freeze everything running through your head right now about Artemis, or Trouble, or Mariana, or the Council. Just freeze it all and concentrate at the job at hand. That's the only important thing right now."

"But the tribunal?" Holly inquired, knowing all too well that there was sure to be one.

"We'll talk about it when you get back," Vinyaya replied. "Don't…don't think about it too much. It doesn't do anyone any good to get angry, though it may significantly harm Kelp's health. Needless to say, that doesn't help your case either."

"Yes, ma'am," Holly muttered, unable to repress a small smile. She snapped the communicator lid shut, and paused in an atypical moment of quiet contemplation. Vinyaya was an old ally, and had been a good friend to both her father and Julius. But it still remained in Holly's mind that she was a politician and certainly had the ruthless, conniving traits that have helped her succeed for this long. Holly herself had been willing to ignore that for so long, mainly because it was refreshing to finally have a supporter on the Council. But soon, as she rose through the ranks mainly, she suspected, because of Vinyaya's influences, the obvious question arose: how much longer could she be expected to play their game? And maybe she was a bit tired of caring how (not) dignified her public image looked.

"Hey!" Juliet's voice shouted, jerking Holly from her thoughts. "My bro will kill me if I let Arty get beat up! Well, maybe a little is fine, he deserves it, after all…just don't break anything!"

Holly winced. Someone was about to get hurt.

* * *

Just ask any feminist about the incredible power of testosterone in males and the answer will come back in a shot: it only causes violent territorial sparring and is a complete waste to civilization, society, and people in general. Perhaps extreme views like this are a reason that the entire feminist movement is consistently written off as irrational and radical but in this case, they just might prove to be correct. 

Trouble, in his irrepressible rage, having already fired off a bit of it at Holly, was now targeting his next prey: Artemis.

Needless to say, the decibel level in that particular room was getting to an almost preternatural level. However, the possible damage to their hearing ability didn't bother Juliet and Mariana who were avidly listening at the door, gossiping about the guys who had fought over them.

"I remember when these two wrestler guys got really fired up and bet their fight over me," Juliet reminisced.

"So who won?" Mariana asked, applying mascara in the hall mirror as if listening to testosterone-pumped rivals squabble was perfectly normal.

"Neither," Juliet chuckled. "I knocked the two of them out before they had a chance to even get in the ring."

Mariana giggled as she pressed her ear to the door. Obviously, this wasn't exactly her most brilliant idea of all time because she immediately got her eardrum blasted with a dose of Trouble's yelling. "Sheesh," she breathed, "Who'd yell that loud over my sister, of all people?"

"Well, I know Arty's been _obsessed_ with Holly for a couple years now," Juliet said. "Every time I IM him, he's always talking about her: Holly this, Holly that. But I had no idea that Holly could be so harsh. I mean, she's pretty enough but I never thought she'd move through guys this fast."

Mariana shrugged. "Holly's weird. Like, she always seems to go for the guy she has the least chance of getting. When we were kids, it was Trouble because our mother just _loathed_ him and he was quite a bit older. He was in the Academy then, so you know, exciting, dangerous. So she turned down about eight guys to go to prom with him. But then, as soon as she gets to college, she doesn't call for months at a time."

"That is not true, Mariana," Holly rebuked, stepping quite unexpectedly from a nearby room and slipping a sleek black communicator into her jacket. "I was busy."

"With what?" Mariana raised one eyebrow. "Losing your virginity?"

"Shut up," Holly retorted amid gales of laughter from Juliet. "Don't even get me started on all the stuff you've been doing lately. All illegal, no less."

"What, have you been tracking me?" Minerva asked indignantly.

It was Holly's turn to shrug, an ambiguous grin spread across her features. It definitely paid to have Foaly as a friend.

Unfortunately, or perhaps, fortunately, Mariana didn't have a chance to reply, with the occurrence of an exceptionally deafening exchange:

"This is all your fault!" Trouble shouted. "If it weren't for you, everything would be fine. She would be happy and she would have never gotten in this mess."

"You mean the mess that _you_ orchestrated?" Artemis returned, his voice equally harsh and unforgiving.

"Doesn't matter," Trouble waved the fact aside, "The Council will blame it all on you and they'll mind wipe."

"So that is your objective: to separate her from me," Artemis said, his voice softer. "I'm sure that would positively endear you to Holly."

"Every time you come along, she changes," Trouble said, exasperated and suddenly sounding immeasurably fatigued. "She always goes and gets you out of whatever dangerous situation you've put yourself in this time, and never once thinks about her own safety. She almost _died_! Is that what you want?"

"Or perhaps you are just envious that it is me she loves, not you," Artemis returned and the smirk that surely decorated his countenance was almost tangible to the eavesdroppers outside. Inside, he could hardly believe what he was saying, but the words simply slipped out of his mouth, his voice more ruthless than it had ever been. "How does it feel to always be second in a lady's heart?"

"Congrats," Mariana whispered to her sister, "You might just be the cause of someone getting seriously injured in there."

Holly ignored the younger girl and turned to Juliet. "Shouldn't you be making sure your precious principle doesn't break his nails?"

"Nah," Juliet smirked, filing her own. "This is way too much fun. Besides, Artemis will get out of there before he actually gets himself beaten into a pulp."

"Right," Holly admitted. "He's many things, but stupid is not one of them."

Exactly on cue, Artemis emerged from the library, entirely unscathed, but looking quite shaken by the less than friendly tête-à-tête. Holly was also less than pleased and wasted no time in admonishing him: "_That_ was not only useless, but dangerous. It's usually a good policy to avoid making enemies this early in the operation."

"Oh yes, of course," Artemis replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "And we've just done a splendid job of that thus far, no?"

Holly sighed, running a hand through her rumpled curls. Despite Vinyaya's reassurances, she couldn't help but think of the Council. "At least don't mention _it_. We don't need to give Trouble and the Council any more fodder. I've already got about a mile high pile of red tape to tangle through once this is over."

"Holly," Artemis caught her arm, pulling her a few feet away from the others. "I…I'm sorry," he finally said, his voice barely more than a murmur. His forehead creased with premature lines as he considered the options in the case that he might have to argue against a mind wipe in fairy court. But the events of the last night seemed to occupy an inordinate amount of space in his cranium. In fact, he scarcely believe that it actually happened at all; it was almost like a vague dream in his memory. "I don't know how I didn't foresee this; it was incredibly foolhardy and…"

"I know," Holly interrupted. "Vinyaya's doing damage control, the press haven't gotten an ounce of it yet, and I don't think Trouble is actually serious about the mind wipe."

"Then, I suppose, officially, it never happened?" Artemis inquired.

"Officially," Holly rolled her eyes. "You are just a resource, if a rather costly one, and I couldn't care less if you should perish during the mission, much less undergo another mind wipe."

"Harsh," Artemis commented. "And unofficially?"

"Unofficially," Holly hesitated, her eyes swiftly scanning the corridor to ensure that Trouble was out of sight. She laid one hand on Artemis's shoulder and reached up, her lips meeting his in a kiss, briefly but sweetly. And then she was gone, leaving the young man entirely bewildered.

* * *

In such heartbreaking, emotional times, when the average person, seeming as if their diminutive cross-section of the world has successfully fallen off the face of the planet, invisible to whatever God they pray to, would be rendered completely useless, the motley crew congregated at Fowl Manor was certainly anything but. In fact, they were just preparing for yet another exhausting, excruciating mission. 

The ancient corridors of Fowl Manor were agog with a dozen figures, both human and fairy, hustling about, each lugging either a piece of equipment, or a head full of thoughts, and sometimes both. If this particular account were a movie instead of a written manuscript, the camera would artistically pan through the hallways, pausing, perhaps, over the clearly preoccupied visage of Trouble Kelp as he conversed with his comrades, or the exceedingly pensive one of Artemis Fowl as he attempted to share tidbits of a surely brilliant plan with Minerva Paradizo using as little actual communication as humanly possible. Or perhaps, if the cameraman were in possession of a particularly wry sense of humor, he would take a moment to observe the apparently panicky countenance of Grub Kelp, who was obviously terrified at the idea of taking part in an _actual_ mission.

In any case, this moment was worth a moment of the camera's time as Holly Short navigated her way down the very same corridor and surprisingly, stopped at where Grub Kelp stood.

"Grub, can do you do me a favor?" she asked, well out of Trouble's earshot.

"That depends," Grub answered. "What is it?"

"Take my sister down to E-1 and drive her back to Haven," Holly replied. Knowing Grub, he would only be too eager to accept the order and avoid any danger there might be in the near future.

"Sure, Holly," he replied, surely marveling at his good fortune by now.

"What, why do I have to go home?" Mariana objected, overhearing the conversation from where she chatted with Juliet only a few feet away.

"I would think that you've realized by now that it's not safe and you've done enough damage for one mission," Holly replied curtly.

"Puh-lease," Mariana said, "Having Grub drive me home is _way_ more dangerous than any mission against an idiot like Sool could possibly be."

Holly laughed. "You have a point there. But I doubt you'd want to go to where we're heading next."

"Where's that?" Mariana asked, her natural curiosity revealing itself.

"Cape Horn, at the tip of South America."

"What's wrong with that?" Mariana asked, apparently not particularly knowledgeable in the field geography or weather patterns.

"To put it shortly, it's right next to Antarctica," Holly answered, "Meaning it's freezing cold?"

"Oh," Mariana finally got the point. "'Kay, have fun, then. Bye!"

Watching her sister leave with perhaps the most inept officer in all of the LEP (excepting Lili Frond, that was), Holly felt an odd pang of protectiveness. Odd, given that for the most part, she and Mariana were closer to friends than sisters, and with their closeness in age, she had never before truly had responsibility over her. True, there were times after the death of their parents that the wellbeing of her younger sister occupied a choice place in her mind, but being of rather affluent descent, she had never once even babysat her younger sister. And besides, as anyone who even vaguely knew her would say, Holly Short was not a maternal type of person, with her rather reckless tendencies. But yet, now, she realized for the first time what it meant to have only a single member of your immediate family left alive, and how precious that person becomes in such a state.

But as in all missions of such paramount importance, there wasn't much spare time for contemplation. Artemis approached her, and asked, "Ready?"

"As ready as anyone can ever be to dash into a nuclear facility and disable a bio-bomb," answered Holly, every bit as sardonic as always."

"Well, I suppose it's better now than ever," Artemis replied, running a hand through his short mane of midnight black hair. "I just hope Minerva is as clever as she seems to consider herself."

Holly scoffed, "With the size of her ego? No chance."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Yeah, all in all, that wasn't one of my better endings. But I really couldn't find a climactic spot to finish on, and I just thought, well, this place is as good as any. But even though this chapter was a bit rushed, I hope it was still up to my usual standards, though that probably isn't very high. Even though I do have midterms next week (so probably no update next Friday), I think I'll have more time in November to write, with a long weekend, and Thanksgiving in sight. 

Well, if you really are starving for an update, I think I'll put up another drabble, or an one-shot if I can get a bit more inspiration to add to it. And in the meantime, review, review, review! Please?

(And I'm still waiting on someone to tell me what book I keep on referencing because I'm just obsessed with a certain character that bears a remarkable resemblance to a certain A/H character. "Enthrall me with your acumen"- another quote from the same book/movie.)

Lily


	14. Of Dreams and Schemes

**Disclaimer:** I really don't own it, guys, how many disclaimers do I have to write before it sinks in?

**Author's Note:** I originally had a little rant written here about my annoyance at people urging me to review in a less-than-polite manner. I took it down, though, because, I realized afterwards that it was quite harsh, and I'm very sorry to anyone who might've thought the comments were directed towards them. I really didn't mean it. (And while I was editing, I fixed a few spelling errors, too!)

As for further updates, I can promise one around Thanksgiving break. I'll be home to write on Wednesday of next week so I should have it up by Friday. Though, after the new year, I can't be sure since I'll have an even heavier load of schoolwork and swimming to get through. With a rough estimate, I think I have about 5 chapters and an epilogue more to do, but a lot of the end is already written. So hopefully, at any rate, I'll be done with this story before spring rolls around. Hopefully.

And one more thing: my little quiz question to all you crazy bookworms out there? The correct answer was _Hannibal _by Thomas Harris (the book, not the series). Sure, _Silence of the Lambs_ was probably better in conception, but in my story, I see way more parallels to _Hannibal_. But that's only because I'm crazy like that. And congrats to shadowweaver1 who was the only one to get it right!

So, finally, here we go:

* * *

**Chapter 14 Of Dreams and Schemes**

Cape Horn, situated at the very tip of South America, is hailed as the southernmost point in the all the continents. If one catches the fickle cape on a good day, he might stand on a jutting cliff and remark upon the beautiful view it offers. But of course, the cape has a dark side, hosting the Drake Passage, where two of Magellan's four ships perished, and sent another scurrying back to Europe, terrified at the hazards the passage presented. In fact, even nowadays, few people choose to sail through the perilous route.

It is probably a good thing, then, that the crew aboard the two fairy shuttles was not planning to sail. At any rate, the plan they were to pursue had enough risks without high winds and unpredictable weather to further complicate the situation.

"This doesn't look good," Minerva noted, exercising a talent for pointing out the obvious as the shuttle jutted through the early morning mist to reveal a landscape fraught with rather foreboding crags. Indeed, today, the cape truly did seem to resemble the edge of the world.

"It doesn't matter," Artemis replied, completely nonchalant. "This leg of the plan is perfectly safe, and really quite simple if you consider the other possibilities. That's why I won't be participating."

"Excuse me?" Minerva and Holly asked, simultaneously surprised by this latest progression. It was a historic moment, given that that was perhaps the first thing they had ever agreed on.

"This is where you get the chance to enthrall me with your acumen, Minerva," Artemis replied serenely. "Though I expect it won't actually require the use of too many brain cells; all you have to do is secure a way into the facility and plant a fiber optic blocker."

"But isn't this where Sool is?" Minerva inquired, clearly anxious by the crease that occupied her brow.

"Of course," Artemis shrugged. "But there's no need to disturb him into believing there is any risk of intervention until our plan is complete. Afterwards, there will be plenty of time to take him into custody."

"And let me guess, you plan to disarm his bio bomb alone?" Minerva asked, "even though it is so dangerous?"

"Hardly," Artemis answered coolly. "Holly and Juliet will be with me, and Foaly, over the airwaves, of course."

"I see," Minerva replied, her cropped blonde curls dipping to her shoulders in a brief nod. If it had been quite a blow to her ego when Artemis blatantly rejected her the previous night, this was a million times worse. Even if these decisions were for the sake of the mission, it was only too clear in the subtle innuendo Minerva detected, that she was, and had never been, the first in his mind.

Holly eased the shuttle on to the ground, and allowed the doors to slide open. "I suppose this is your stop then?" she said, with no small amount of satisfaction that the smug French girl would not be accompanying them. "Have fun."

Artemis, of course, in the typical ignorant manner of males, did not recognize the subtle game of power play that was in action right before his eyes. Amazing how even genii are not privy to the mysterious methods that females of every species, it seems, practice.

"You aren't expecting me to go alone, are you?" Minerva asked, looking quite scandalized at the thought of dirtying her perfectly manicured nails with actual physical exercise.

"Of course not," Artemis said curtly, beginning to tire of Minerva's arrogant attitude. Was this really how the rest of the world saw him? If so, he expected that even he would consider himself to be rather repugnant. "Trouble Kelp and his comrades will be accompanying you."

"Oh," Minerva replied, appearing somewhat disappointed. She merely stood in the doorway of the shuttle as if waiting for something.

"Now, would you mind going now?" Artemis said, tapping his pianist's fingers rather impatiently on the dashboard. "We have a mission of utmost importance to attend to and as always, time is of the essence."

Holly repressed an urge to push the stupid mud girl out of her shuttle, but settled for smirking in silence. And even better, the grouping caught two stink worms with one skewer— not only would Minerva be ousted but Trouble was also absent. After all, lately, he hardly qualified as pleasant company.

The very same Trouble Kelp was gathering his forces outside in the already chilly September weather. Needless to say, he was not in the best of moods, not only because of the rather disturbing event he had witnessed only the night before, but because his mollycoddling mother had just called. And obviously, it wasn't for his sake, but for Grub's, who, inconveniently, wasn't present on this mission, giving Mrs. Kelp a chance to berate her grown-up son about letting his younger brother out of his sight.

Therefore, Kelp was even more frustrated at Holly Short than it would already render the average male to find his ex of two days sleeping with a human, of all people. And now, she thought she had the right to send his brother home? So what if Grub was technically her subordinate? He was his brother, after all, and no one had the right to command him except for Trouble.

The human girl descended from the other shuttle, no less irked than the fairy commander, especially as the shuttle promptly jetted off, knocking Minerva quite bodily from her perch on the steps. Thankfully, she landed on the rocky Chilean soil entirely unharmed, with the exception of her dented pride, of course.

"Alright," she muttered, clearly chagrined at her less-than-graceful entrance. "So where's this residence of Sool's?"

"It's about half a klick north," Trouble replied coldly, glancing at his wrist computer. "I assume you have a plan?"

"Of course I have a plan," Minerva answered, equally wintry, "but there is no use revealing it now. Let's go."

"I think I have a right to know what I'm marching my troops into, if you could spare the moment to divulge this supposedly brilliant scheme of yours," Trouble replied, digging his heels into the ground and making it perfectly clear that he was not about to budge without prior knowledge.

Minerva considered it for a beat. As much as she liked the idea of her, not Artemis, being the elusive mastermind of this piece for once, she would like it even more if she could just do her part and then get back to her chateau ASAP. Her leather armchair and a flute of 1982 Bordeaux seemed like heaven compared to the frigid desolation of Southern Chile.

"Fine," she finally agreed, and projected a 3-D image from her own handheld computer, its laser blue lines criss-crossing the bleak Cape skies. "Listen up, because I'm only going to say this once."

* * *

Contrary to popular belief, not all blondes are ditzy and dim-witted, and Juliet Butler was certainly not one of them. So she couldn't make sense of high school calculus or comprehend many of the convoluted schemes of a certain Irish criminal mastermind, but she surely wasn't stupid, and not in the least bit blind. But in this case, it is likely that even one with Lili Frond's brain power was capable of seeing the barely shielded exchange that was taking place in the cockpit. 

"Cute, huh?" Juliet said, nodding toward where Artemis and Holly sat exchanging words that were highly unlikely to be related to the mission. Meanwhile, upon entering the shuttle, Mulch had immediately setting to work on emptying the shuttle's cooler. He may have already had plenty to eat, both of Butler's cookery and the poor critters he had chanced upon tunneling through the fertile soils of Ireland, but wherever there was food, you can be sure a dwarf would take advantage of the situation.

"If you mean in a weird, cross-species sort of way," Mulch replied, currently munching on substances unknown.

"Well, Smelly, you wouldn't know love if it danced the can-can in front of you," Juliet retorted.

"Uh-huh, and when's the last time you've ever been with anyone, Stinker?" Mulch smirked. He may not have been the most popular dwarf in school, considering the unavoidable odor and rather distasteful...excecrations, but even he had some stories to tell.

"For your information, just last year," Juliet answered. It was true— to a certain extent, meaning, in other words, a single dinner date and a movie. After all, being a wrestler wasn't all fun and games; training tended to take up a large portion of one's free time, too.

"But really, you would think that little Arty's learned to use his brains by now," Mulch burped. "Going for Holly right under Trouble's eye was a real smart move."

"And how would you know about using brain cells, Mulch, when you've got all of three IQ points?" Surprisingly, it was Foaly's voice that piped up, apparently in the form of a bouncing helmet with a frighteningly accurate virtual model of the centaur projecting from it.

"That's just creepy, Foaly," Juliet said, raising one eyebrow.

"Oh big deal," the holo-centaur retorted. "Anyways, you guys have got better things to worry about."

"Like what?" Mulch asked charily. "I swear, if this involves any more of me putting my life on the line for this save-the-world agenda you've got going on, it isn't happening."

"Um, well," Foaly seemed a bit uncomfortable, even in his virtual form. "It won't be _that_ hard…"

"Spit it out, donkey," Mulch sighed mockingly. "Still need old Diggums to save your skin, huh?"

"Well, through my incredible genius and my new software database that compiles the specifications of every building in Haven for easy searching…" Foaly began on his typically monotonous technology lecture, knowing quite comfortingly that the worst Mulch could do to him was swallow the helmet. "Anyways, I found the plant."

"Let me guess, this involves me digging through radioactive waste or something equally life-threatening? Oh Mulch, do this, Diggums, do that! And what do I get in return?" Mulch whined, exasperating enough to merit a quick rabbit punch from Juliet.

"Your moaning is really getting on my nerves, Smelly," Juliet said. "Next time, it's the jade ring for you."

Mulch, being in possession of slightly more IQ points than what Foaly personally suspected and having watched several human wrestling videos featuring the Jade Princess, decided to shut his mouth and listen to Foaly's lecture about nuclear plants and whatnot.

"Look, it's like this," Foaly explained. "We just need a way into this plant, without setting off any sensors, because Sool will be monitoring his precious bio-bomb for sure. And I happen to _know _that a _certain_ kleptomaniac dwarf has robbed this place before."

"You robbed a nuclear power plant?" Juliet asked, astonished. "What for?"

"It was a dare," Mulch admitted, "centuries ago, in my youth. They've almost definitely hiked up the security by now."

"But you know the layout," Foaly pressed. "Come on, Mulch, do this right and I can almost promise you a metal. Real gold, this time, too, not Arty's little coin/necklace thing."

"_Almost_, donkey-boy?" Mulch tut-tuted. "Nope, _almost_ ain't gonna cut it. You're gonna have to give me something before I do anything for you again."

"I promise, okay?" Foaly ground his teeth in annoyance. "And if the Council tells me to bugger off, then I'll just shut down the security in Police Plaza for a night and let you sack the place. Deal?"

"Deal," Mulch agreed, relishing the idea of getting his hands on whatever treasures Police Plaza held. Besides, that donkey must really be desperate if he was willing to put his head on the chopping block, so to speak, and ask the Council to give a medal to an ex-convict.

* * *

If his twenty-two years had proved anything, it was that romance was not Artemis's strong point, to say in the least. And yet, he found himself in the close vicinity with the most…amazing member of the female race and at an absolute loss for words, something that only happened around Holly Short. 

So instead, he spent several minutes discreetly watching her. Her auburn curls were tucked behind those stunningly pretty pointed ears— did Artemis Fowl II just think that a girl's _ears_ were pretty? Anyways, her mismatched eyes were fixed on the foggy morning skies that stretched out over the bitterly chilly Atlantic Ocean, and her slim fingers clutched on the shuttle's controls, expertly maneuvering them toward the nearest fairy shuttleport in Buenos Aires.

"You know, it almost seemed like you were _trying_ to get Minerva out of here," Holly said, interrupting the momentary tranquility that had fallen over the pair. "And it doesn't hurt that Trouble and Ash are too."

"If anyone asks, it was well-suited for the sake of the mission at hand and whatever…other consequences the situation may have granted were simply coincidence, of course," Artemis replied.

"Of course," Holly repeated, a smug smirk stretching over her features. She reached one gloved hand down to switch the shuttle on autopilot; after all, it was only a simple flight to Buenos Aires and if the shuttle design was half as brilliant as Foaly claimed, the thing could fly perfectly fine without her. As for Holly, well, she had other things to be doing…

"You know, I still can't quite comprehend how this all happened," Artemis remarked, moments later, upon discovering he and Holly to be propped awkwardly in between the two seats. Needless to say, the cramped cockpit of an LEP shuttle, even a relatively expensive and lavish one, was not made for making out, especially if a human was involved in said making out.

"Hmmm…funny, neither can I," Holly muttered, laughing. She stretched to nudge a control with her foot, sliding closed the partition door between the cockpit and the rest of the shuttle, though a few moments too late. Juliet and Mulch were staring, not to mention Foaly and his bouncing helmet, but neither Artemis nor Holly particularly cared. In fact, Artemis was currently distracted in amazement that Holly could manage to be so...sexy even when she was fully dressed. Ah, stop it, he quickly chastised himself. You're supposed to an impassive criminal mastermind, so for goodness sakes, act like it.

Knocking himself out of his reverie, Artemis pointed out the obvious, but uncomfortable reality, "You know this can't go on."

"I know," Holly groaned at the thought of the red tape she was going to have to sort through upon her return to Haven. "But the Council isn't here now and neither is their little waterboy, Trouble."

"Last night was a mistake," Artemis went on despite how strongly his hormones urged, "I won't have you kicked out of the LEP because of me."

"I'll figure it out somehow," Holly waved it away, not wanting to care, not right now, when she and Artemis were together, so perfectly together. "I think what you really need to ask yourself is do you really love me?"

"Of course," Artemis replied at once, his hand on Holly's, their fingers interwoven, fitting together flawlessly. "But you must know how crazy this is."

"I do," she answered, "But that's for later. This is for now."

And with that she bent over the mud boy, kissing him— not just an offhand peck, but a deep, passionate kiss. He gladly returned the embrace, holding her as close as possible, wishing that the moment could last forever, despite the ancient prejudices that had always held their races apart.

"Hmm, that's more like it," Holly said, laughing. She lied down on the floor of the shuttle, next to Artemis, making the scene even stranger.

"Do you ever wonder if our worlds could ever be united again?" Artemis asked after a moment's silence, the underlying cause of their troubles (no pun intended) still unassauged in his mind. An awfully contemplative question, even for him.

"All the time," Holly sighed. "But face it, if it ever does, it probably won't be for centuries, millennia, even."

"And I don't suppose that I made a particularly good impression for the case that humans aren't as bad as most of the People seem to think?"

"Hardly," Holly answered, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Even people like Trouble and Vinyaya can barely tolerate us being friends, let alone...you know. You're right: when the manure hits the air circulator, there's going to be hell to pay."

"I wonder sometimes though," Artemis admitted. "If there is prejudice everywhere, how will it ever end?"

"You know what?" Holly said, "Sometimes, you think too much."

And thus, the making out resumed, the two thankfully oblivious to the further trials and tribulations that fate had schemed up for them. The only upside to the whole affair was that at least Trouble was not present to report them for inappropriate behavior.

* * *

However, Artemis and co. probably had much to be grateful for, given that if Sool had still been commander, Holly would've gotten fired from the LEP for these little misconducts before one could even utter the full name of the mud boy in question. But nowadays, Sool was not trying to fire the infamous LEP major, but instead, attempting to kill her. Yes, of course, they had much to be thankful for. 

And what was Sool up to while all this drama was occurring at Fowl Manor? Dreaming and scheming of course. From his lair in what he believed to be a safe haven, he contemplated the events of the past forty-eight hours.

He had had the upper hand by any measurement, holding the rather helpless younger sister of Holly Short captive, and the knowledge of her deepest secrets, not to mention the trap that he had carefully laid for the team that would surely come knocking on the door. It was absolute perfection— there was no other word for it. And they said he was dim.

But that Holly Short, even in death she was impetuous, as Sool soon discovered the small piece of clear gel on the otherwise smooth exterior of his escape pod. Further inspection told him that it was one of Foaly's designs. Of course, he only knew this because a few years ago, back in his days as Commander, Foaly had come to him with the prototype design, if rather grudgingly. Naturally he refused, feeling this would put far too much power into the foolish pony's hands and the gel tablets disappeared from the storerooms. Clearly, the ridiculous centaur had slipped the rejected materials into the hands of his dear friend, Holly Short.

Sool sucked his breath in, relishing the thought of Foaly's reaction to the death of what was likely his only friend. And along with her, that annoying human Artemis Fowl, that impudent younger sister, and quite probably Commander Trouble Kelp and his team as well. Now, if he hadn't particularly wanted the deaths of Short and Fowl, Kelp would've been his first target. After all, how could the Council let that stupid Retrieval officer, barely more than boy, really, take over in a job that had once belonged to the great Ark Sool?

But back to business, Sool mused as he plucked the tablet from the escape pod. Now, with the deaths of his only opponents, he did have some time as the officers who would replace the likes of Trouble Kelp and Holly Short would likely be even more foolish. But what use was there to delay victory? None precisely. And so, the plan must go on, and Ark Sool would conquer Haven, no matter what that obnoxious centaur had to say about it.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Rather deluded, isn't he? I think during some point in between Chapter 1 and now, Sool crossed the very fine line between vengeful and crazy…I told you these characters write themselves. And actually, Sool is particularly adamant; that last part just flowed like spring water. 

The romance in this chapter came easier than normal but looking back, I wonder if they're out of character. Ah, those romance parts are still the hardest for me to write- it's far too sugary sweet for my style (I've always detested the typical Austen or Bronte happy endings). But that will be remedied in the end...muahahaha...

Anyways, I've hit the miraculously high 150 reviews watermark! Help me make it to 200 and I will be extremely, extremely grateful! And I promise I'll update faster...;-)

Lily


	15. Scanning Plans

**Disclaimer: **Nope, _still_ don't own it! But I do own these pair of complete dunces named Flint (totally pulled from JK Rowling) and Beech.

**Author's Note:** Yes, I'm a tad late today, but please cut me a bit of slack as it is Black Friday and I've been out Christmas shopping all day. And I was going to have a beta helping me out on this one but I think the email I got was faulty. I really should get a full-time beta one of these days so if anyone wants to volunteer for the job, write down your email in your review (make sure it's exactly right!) and I'll drop you a line.

Anyway, this chapter is kind of iffy as it is, since I'm pretty sure it isn't scientifically accurate but whatever, it's not like Colfer follows the rules of physics either. I tried to make it realistic and as original as possible, but I guess you'll have to be the judge of that:

* * *

**Chapter 15 Scanning Plans**

Almost ten thousand years ago, the order first came from King Frond in the fairy capital of Eire that all residents must retreat the underground forts immediately, and naturally, few actually obeyed. All of Eire was evacuated immediately but the outer reaches of the empire were hardly concerned with some turf war tens of thousands of kilometers away and went about their lives as usual. It wasn't for millennia that the majority of the population finally moved underground, and even then, many lived in domiciles located barely below the surface and came up to see the moon regularly. After all, humans were hardly the foremost concern of the LEP at the time, given that it would still be a while before those pesky Mesopotamians began developing a civilization of their own. And in the desolate desert that was the Middle East, of all places!

But at any rate, one of the later fairies to move belowground was an ancestor of Ark Sool, an affluent plantation owner in the isolated region of Southern Chile. He shared his great-great-great-great-grandson's avaricious ways, insatiable ambition, and of course, that famous distrust of others. Isolation tends to do nothing to assuage these tendencies and so, when he did retreat into the bowels of the Earth, his new manor house employed the top-notch security measures of the time to guard over his accumulated wealth.

And what exactly was the "top-notch security measures of the time"?

"So this place has a lock on the front door? And that's it?" Trouble asked incredulously, as his team plus Minerva Paradizo stood a safe distance away from the cleverly disguised entrance of Sool's inherited mansion.

"I didn't say that," Minerva said, scanning the printout that Foaly had sent. "I said: those were _the original measures_. Over the years, more have been added."

"Such as?"

"Such as, um, a lattice field over all major entrances and rooms," Minerva read off the notes on the printout Foaly had given her. By Trouble's groan, she could safely deduce that this "lattice field" was quite an impenetrable defense, but how was a human, even a genius, supposed to understand the fairys' futuristic brand of science and technology?

"A lattice field's basically a light-based barrier that penetrates every air molecule," Trouble explained. "Kind of like those laser things in your human movies, but way more sensitive. If the lattice even senses you coming to a certain extent, the sensors will go off and there goes the covert mission. And to top it all off, it's completely invisible to the naked eye."

"I see," Minerva said, "but that won't be a problem until we actually get into Sool's private quarters. I wasn't planning on going in through any of the entrances anyway."

"Mind actually telling us the whole plan now?" Asher Vein asked, quite irked at the pompous human girl. "From what I've heard so far, it involves go in, grab Sool, get out. Not exactly genius material."

"Idiot hunks of muscle," Minerva muttered under her breath, and stalked over to the partially-excavated wall of the domicile. Before any of the officers could utter a protest, she knocked her hand against the material, testing it for durability.

"Have you gone out of your mind?" Trouble exclaimed. "This is a _covert_ mission."

"Use your brain, _Commander_," Minerva retorted, "assuming you possess one. This wall is the original material, made of simple brick. That's an extremely porous material, in case you didn't know, and transmit signals to or from sensors nearly as well as say, steel. Unlike you, Sool's no idiot, and he wouldn't particularly care if anyone's knocking on an outer wall anyways, since the lattice field's right at that door!"

"Are you sure Sool isn't dumb?" A corporal asked his commander. Being quite ardently hated by most of the LEP from his days in Internal Affairs and his brief stint as commander, Ark Sool retained the reputation of the daftest excuse for a fairy to ever cross the threshold of Police Plaza among many officers. After all, he had no knowledge of military tactics or combat situations and therefore, was completely useless to Recon.

"He may not be quite as brilliant as _moi_," Minerva replied haughtily, "but without at least smattering of brains, he could never have understood even the slightest portion of Artemis's psyche and anticipated his train of thought, psychological profile or not. From what I hear of those poor counselors, even trained professional haven't a clue of what makes him tick. So clearly, you're all underestimating Sool. And that would, no doubt, be a deadly mistake."

The throng before her fell silent. The girl standing before them may be a human, and an incredibly exasperating one at that, but no one particularly wanted to put their lives on the line anymore than was absolutely necessary. After all, a bit precaution couldn't hurt.

"Alright, so now that you're all ready to listen," Minerva said, clearly pleased to have the group hanging on to her every word. "Because these outer walls are made of brick, as long as we stick to them as we dig down, looking for some sign of life, Sool won't have any idea we're coming. Until it's too late, that is."

"So we burn through the ground and wait," Trouble repeated. "And that's it?"

"Well, our portion of the plan is quite simple," Minerva muttered. It was only too clear that Artemis didn't trust her with anything of actual importance. "But in addition to that, we do have one more objective— to find and block off all of Sool's routes of escape."

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Vein asked impatiently.

Minerva took this moment to smirk, her usual smugness presenting itself despite her current displeasure. "Oh, but the mastermind must never reveal her ultimate plan until the last minute. Builds suspense, you see."

* * *

Despite their loathing for radiation, the People depend heavily on nuclear energy to power their devices. But of course, their brand of what humans would crudely call "cold fusion" was far safer than any human power plant. In addition, it was also entirely clean energy, and produced a massive amount of power with minimal effort. 

But as with all great technologies, there was a downside. In particular, there was the danger of, say, a terrorist organization hijacking the plant and harnessing its nuclear potential into what could truly be weapons of mass destruction, not the harmless sand in Iraq. Therefore, the plant was understandably protected by an extremely advanced security system and guarded by the best and the brightest of the LEP.

These obstacles would generally be insurmountable for the average thief, but certainly not for our motley team. They had several advantages on their side: first of all, Mulch already knew the layout of the building from a dare in his youth, secondly, Major Holly Short had some pull over the loyalties of the officers in question, such as the very existence of their jobs, and finally, they had the foremost technical genius of the century, of course. Although, mentioning the words "genius" in front of Foaly would surely inflate his ego beyond all comparison, a particularly dangerous act.

"You'll never believe this, Holly," Foaly said from the shuttle's intercom system, and thankfully omitting the rather disturbing bouncing helmet hologram. "It's just too good to be true…aside from the fact that you're putting on lipstick, or whatever you girls do nowadays."

"It's chapstick, Foaly," Holly retorted, resisting the temptation to throw the tube at his virtual image. "You know, for chapped lips?"

"And now, let's think, why would your lips be dry?" Foaly answered, posing in the classic, hand-on-chin, mock thoughtful facade. "Perhaps from making out?"

"Shut up, Foaly!" Artemis and Holly responded simultaneously. But true to her nature, Holly added a threatening remark, waving the offending tube of chapstick in from the offending centaur's plasma screen, "And if you don't, I'm stuffing this down your throat once I get back."

"Now, now, children," Artemis interrupted with a smirk, "don't we have a mission to complete? So, Foaly, what was it you wanted to tell us?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, that Opal Koboi designed the new security systems for this plant, about fifty years ago," Foaly rubbed his palms together elatedly. "I am definitely going to enjoy breaking this defense."

"Not so fast," Artemis grimaced. "If Opal was even half as brilliant fifty years ago as she is now, the system will be top-notch."

"Oh, it is," Foaly nodded, "but no match for the likes of _moi_."

"And what might this supposedly brilliant system be exactly?" Holly asked.

"Ah, micro cameras with anti-shield filters, DNA scanners every few feet, iris and gel fingerprint scans at every entrance, ten feet steel walls filled to the brim with sensors, you know, the works," Foaly replied nonchalantly. "I'm sending the details to your communicator, Holly."

At the insistence of a short beep, Holly grabbed snatched her silver- and aquamarine-plated communicator out of her bag and handed it to Artemis. The Irish criminal mastermind scrolled down the list of security measures, the barest hint of somberness falling over his usually impassive features.

"The cameras are a breeze to handle," Foaly narrated as Artemis read. "I'll just feed them a loop as always. The sensors are a bit more a problem but no biggie either since the convict probably knows a route around them. The iris and fingerprint scans are a bit harder, but they're programmed to accept any old employee's info so that could be bypassed, too. The DNA scans are a bit harder since we definitely aren't in the mainframe."

"You forgot to mention the armed guards standing 24-7 at entrances of all major rooms," Artemis reminded. "That could be problematic as well."

"Ah, but the guards are LEP even if the plant is privately owned," Foaly answered. "And I expect Holly has certain…ah…powers of persuasion over them, if you know what I mean."

"Excuse me?" Holly interrupted, even though she knew exactly what "powers of persuasion" Foaly was referring to. "Oh, you are so dead when I get back to HQ."

* * *

Dwarfs may be the ultimate eating machine as far as digging through solid earth goes but the rest of the fairy species are not so lucky. Wary of the possible unnoticed micro camera, the supposedly top-notch Retrieval team was struggling with the task of shifting through the earth while keeping safely shielded. Trouble Kelp and his comrades were soon reduced to a sore, dirt-encrusted pile of elves, even with the help of their shuttle apparatus and Neutrinos. 

"This is just getting ridiculous," Trouble muttered beneath his breath as he once again set his gun to high and successful dispatched a few more inches of earth. "At this rate, we're never going to get down there."

"You're overcomplicating the situation, Commander," Minerva interrupted, balanced at the very top of the mound to preserve her perfectly manicured nails. "We're not going very far down at all. In fact, we're almost there."

"Almost to where?" Vein asked, and expressed the entire squad's opinion as he said, "you'd better tell us what your plan really is before I decide to shoot _you_ with this Neutrino."

"Fine, fine," Minerva sniffed. "No need to get violent."

Without further ado, she carefully dropped down to the bottom of the pit they had created and waved a standard LEP issue heat detector in front of the brick wall. Studying the results, she smiled triumphantly. "We've hit a vent."

"Oh joy," Trouble answered sarcastically. "Isn't that just wonderful?"

"Actually it is," Minerva retorted. "Because we're going through ventilation system and now it's just a simple matter of burning through this brick to get in."

"Well, well," Vein muttered, "aren't you just original? Where did you get that idea from, your human movies?"

"Cinematized as it may be, but the ventilation system is actually often the only way of penetrating a supposedly impenetrable fortress," Minerva lectured.

"Hmmm, there's just one problem," Trouble rejoined.

"What problem?"

"What if Sool decides to turn on the heat and fry us all?"

* * *

Youth is supposedly innocent. At the mere mention of a child, the stereotypical image that appears in most people's mind is the adorable scene starring a huge-eyed, endearingly pretty toddler, preferably with blonde ringlets and crystal azure eyes. But in reality, most children look and act nothing like the sweet, hackneyed icon, and especially contradictory is the idea of a young Mulch Diggums. 

Perhaps he had been passably cute as an infant but the scene had no doubt become far less appealing when little Mulchie started passing gas. And fart he did.

As many of his like-minded classmates would say, with that much power in the unmentionables, he could've made it big in the world of professional sprint digging. Unfortunately, that world was not particularly large and held next to zero chance of celebrity, or gold, for that matter. But even so, in his teenage years, Mulch posed as a jock, even if his sport was less than glamorous, for the same thing that nearly every other horny male was after: the ladies.

Impressing the girls wasn't always a walk in the park, though. Sometimes it required certain personal sacrifices, and taking risks with minor commodities such as money, time, and life. But none of that worried Mulch much, so when his ill-wishing comrades challenged him to break into the nuclear plant on the outskirts of Haven, he was all for it. One tends to regret many hasty decisions made as a teenager, and that became one of them when Mulch realized that he would be attempting to cheat a custom Koboi security system.

"Look, guys, getting in on my own a couple centuries ago, when all they had was a few trip alarms and CCTV cameras, was a piece of cake, but this is different," Mulch said as he, Artemis, and Juliet were perched on a rooftop across the street from the plant in question. "It'll be a miracle if we even manage to get through the outer walls without tripping these sensors. I can feel the vibration from way over here."

"Ah, Mulch, just leave the thinking to the experts," Foaly answered. "You do know where the generators are, right?"

"Yeah, you can't miss 'em. There's a huge room of 'em smack dab in the middle of the building, right below the main control room."

"So it's clearly visible by whoever is manning the controls?" Artemis inquired.

"Yeah, sure," Mulch shrugged, "through a giant Plexiglas panel last time I checked."

"And what'd be the most direct route to the generators?" Juliet asked. "Avoiding the scanners, that is."

Mulch considered it for a moment, struggling to recall the layout he'd encountered all those years ago, with nothing but the ladies and his own pride on his mind. Didn't he wish things were so simple now?

"It's like this: The main generator room itself is built on solid rock. They'll have probably put in a layer of rubber on everything too, after I bit into a wooden door, once. But there is a vein of soil right up a hall pretty damn near the generators, and I know a way to get there. There'll still be sensors, mind you, but only one set of DNA and fingerprint scanners before the main doors. That's the best I've got."

Artemis nodded, rubbing his temples with the tips of his fingers. "Good, that's excellent. We'll take it."

"But what about the scans?" Juliet asked, feeling a little left out of the mumbo-jumbo. "DNA doesn't sound like something you can fake you way out of."

"It isn't," Foaly affirmed. "That's why Holly's working on it."

* * *

Even though the computers did most of the work in a relatively ordinary power plant such as this one, the obvious dangers that nuclear power presented still merited at least half a dozen experts and countless guards on duty at all times in case of emergencies. It was upon one of these questionable sentries that Artemis & co. set their sights on. 

Corporal Burl Flint was not one of the LEP's golden fairies to say in the least. In fact, the only reason he was accepted into the Academy at all was because of his family connections to some influential members of Internal Affairs. And even then, Flint was tucked away in the lower echelons of the LEP hierarchy, on duty with Customs and Excise. And it just so happened that one of the companies who required a few _professionals_ from Police Plaza also owned this nuclear power plant. And thus, the less than overachieving Burl stood guard outside, lamenting the monotonous position he had gotten shoved into.

His partner, Corporal Jay Beech, was cut from the same mold, though perhaps a tad dimmer yet. Therefore, Flint did not even have a sentient voice to talk to. Perhaps if he had possessed the brain cells necessary, he would've remembered to bring a music player or one of those virtual video games that fairy children liked so much nowadays. But instead, he merely whiled away the hours tracing shapes in the dust with the toe of his boot. Simply brilliant.

So, one could imagine his immense surprise when an attractive, young woman approached him. In fact, Flint had to pinch himself quite painfully several times before he realized what he was seeing: a girl with dark auburn locks tumbling down to her shoulders and a petite, slender figure reminiscent of that of three-time AMP winner Skylar Peat. Strangely enough, she was also dressed in LEP regalia, the coveted Reconnaissance insignia just barely visible beneath her jacket. But naturally, dim-witted Flint failed to recall that females in Recon were in short supply and notice the rather glaring fact that the girl heavily resembled the newspaper photos he had seen of Major Holly Short, Recon's most famed officer. All of which were excellent news for the sake of the mission at hand.

"Hey," Holly said, twirling a strand of curly hair most uncharacteristically. Needless to say, she was not pleased with this turn of events. She would almost rather dive through several barrels of highly-radioactive nuclear waste than simper to this idiot just to bypass the DNA scanners. If she had her way, Holly would've simply stuck the butt of her Neutrino 4000 straight into the unsuspecting sentinel's back and ordered him to lead them through the facility without incident. However, such an event would almost certainly set off red flags to Sool, so for the time being at least, she mustn't reveal her identity. And thus, Major Holly Short of Recon was reduced to taking a leaf from the very girlishly pink book of Lili Frond.

"Hi," the unwary corporal replied docilely, completely entranced in the girl's beauty. After all, he wasn't exactly the most popular guy around the nightclubs these days, or rather, any days. Actually, to be blunt, the ladies usually avoided him like the plague; no one was _that_ desperate.

"You know what would be really cool?" Holly asked, wincing at how well she managed to impersonate that blonde bimbo of an LEP officer.

"What?"

"If you could, you know, show me around this place," Holly replied. This was easier than she could've imagined; the guy couldn't be any more compliant even under the _mesmer_. ""Cause, I've got to do a school report on nuclear power and it just be _amazing_ if you'd tell me a little bit about it."

"Okay, sure," Flint jumped at the chance to get anywhere near such an attractive girl. Not only would it be a change from his usual tedious schedule, maybe he would get past first base for once…well, he'd never gotten to first base either, but….

"Hey, why d'you get to take the cute girl 'round for a tour?" Jay interrupted. "I wanna go, too."

"You can both come," Holly smiled sweetly, barely resisting the urge to shoot the guy where it'd really hurt. Instead, she brushed a loose strand of hair out of her eyes, ensuring that her iris cam had a direct view at the challenges ahead. Mulch would take the others on different route, but they were sure to encounter the like in the rest of the building, especially in the major rooms.

Flint lowered his head to the level of the iris scanner, simultaneously pressing his finger to the gel pad and, within half a second, was confirmed to be eligible to enter the building. Jay repeated the procedure and the doors slide open smoothly, revealing a pristine corridor within. But when Holly made to follow the two inside, a computerized voice demanded, "Unknown identity. Please name yourself."

"Um," Holly froze, hoping that Foaly would interject with an answer to her dilemma through the barely visible microphone in her ear. If she said her real name, she would most definitely blow her cover and dance a jig for Ark Sool. If she lied, the DNA scanners would surely detect the discrepancy. What to do, what to do?

The circumstance was not improved by the automated voice continuing, "If unknown person is not identified in ten seconds, doors will self destruct."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Oh, I'm just so evil to poor Holly, but how could I resist baiting her like this? It's just too good an opportunity...though I didn't quite manage to stuff as much action as I originally wanted to in this chapter. So, give me one more week and you'll have action aglore! Hopefully. 

Anyway, as always, I'm looking for reviews to help boost my count to 100 and motivate me to write really, really fast. Any takers? Tell me I'm great or I suck or whatever...just review!


	16. Unexpected Glitches

**Disclaimer:** Je n'ai pas le _Artemis Fowl_. Comprendez-moi?

**Author's Note:** First of all, thank you, thank you to all of you kind people who did review, because there weren't too many of you. I understand that I've probably lost some readers over my 3 week hiatus, but still, seven reviews in a week is about as low as I've ever gotten, writing this story. Even the first, boring chapter when I was completely unknown in this fandom merited about ten or twelve reviews...so, if you're reading and you haven't reviewed, please do so, because constructive critique is really the reason why I keep writing.

Also, I'm pleased to inform you that there will be good, solid action in the chapter, for those of you who like that. And also, I've taken the advice of a very conscientious reviewer, HollyluvsArty, in adding a tad of jealousy into the mix...you'll see:

* * *

**Chapter 16 Unexpected Glitches**

For Artemis Fowl, the luxury of quiet and interrupted contemplation was one highly sought but rarely found, even in the tranquility of Fowl Manor. After all, his once serene home was now invaded by twin five-year-olds who insisted on running about playing with the silliest of plastic toys. He had, of course, attempted to show wayward Myles and Becket the joy of watching the prices of gold soar in the business section of the Wall Street Journal, a practice he had delighted in as a child, but to no avail.

If peace is not to be found even in the comfort of one's home, it certainly wouldn't be in the throes of such a vital mission. Especially now, Artemis noted as he stared into what he hoped was blank space, endeavoring to avoid glancing at Mulch's backside as the dwarf tunneled through the darkness.

His circumstance was certainly not improved by the sudden yelping that appeared in his ear.

"Fowl!" Foaly shrieked, jerking the flabbergasted mud boy from his reverie. "Turn on your wrist computer and get into Holly's iris cam feed. Right now!"

Artemis's pianist's fingers fumbled for the correct keys as his eyes groped for the rare slice of clear vision in the utter darkness. After what seemed like an eternity, the world through Holly's eyes appeared on the high-resolution plasma screen. And it wasn't a particularly rosy image.

"D'arvit," Artemis cursed.

"Did you just use a fairy curse?" Foaly raised one eyebrow. "Never mind. You've got to figure out something, before this damn self-destruct mechanism blows her up!"

Artemis brought one hand to his head level, intending to rub his temple to get his neurons moving. Unfortunately, the darkness rendered his reflexes incapable of carrying out the orders his brain sent, and his fingers inadvertently probed the sensitive sclera of his left eye.

"Ouch," he muttered, wondering if he had dislodged the colored contact he had worn ever since the Hybras incident when he and Holly had switched eyes in inter-dimensional transit. Then, suddenly, it came to him: their eyes!

"Tell Holly to say my name," Artemis said, blurting the words out as quickly as he could for them to still be intelligible. "Tell her look directly at the scanner and say 'Artemis Fowl'."

"What? But no DNA scanner is going to believe that she's you…" Foaly protested.

"Just do it!"

Foaly obeyed, for once hoping that the mud boy knew something he didn't. As the two prodigies watched on, Holly breathed the name that still inspired either fear or revulsion in much of Haven, her head raised to face the small steel-encased DNA scanner that cast its omniscient pale blue light over her figure. At the amazement of every spectator, the scanner's computerized voice replied coolly, "Identity accepted."

"What? How…?" Foaly said, at a complete loss for words.

"We switched eyes when we came back from Hybras," Artemis explained. "And since DNA is present in every molecule of one's body, it's reasonable to some of my genetic material is present in Holly as well. I was simply banking on the fact that the scanner only looks for a single strand to confirm, and does not assess the entire body."

"You were just lucky that scanner's 50 years old," Foaly answered, a bit miffed at not having thought of this himself, "otherwise, you would've been toast. But won't this set off red alarms to Sool now that 'Artemis Fowl' has supposedly entered the facility where his precious bio-bombs are? You _are_ supposed to be dead, you know."

"Yes, of course," Artemis smirked. "That is the brilliant part. Sool will look at the footage and see clearly that it was not I who entered, attribute it to a simple glitch in the system, and think no more of the matter. This way, both of our identities are safe, at least for the time being."

"A glitch?" Foaly looked skeptical. "And Sool will just believe that? I mean, I think we have enough reason to suspect that he's no idiot."

"You yourself would accept such a simplified explanation," Artemis replied. "In fact, you already have, being perfectly willing to wave away the two identical goblins leaving Howler's Peak during Opal's escape as an equipment malfunction. And we all know how defensive you are over your own technology. But it's human nature (and I expect such is true among fairies as well) to assume that the most straightforward explanation for an anomaly is the correct one. After all, it often is. Just not this time."

"I hate to say it," Foaly shook his head in astonishment. "But that's one brilliant plan to have been thought up in a couple of seconds."

"I am a genius, after all," Artemis grinned complacently, always glad for the additional inflation to his ego. Unfortunately, this moment of arrogance did not last long since a smattering of Mulch's _recyclings_ was unintentionally chucked into Artemis's beaming countenance.

* * *

In the depths of his hideaway, Sool studied the rather interesting footage from the surveillance cameras in what was certainly the centerpiece of operation. A small elf had just entered his nuclear plant, flanked by two of the LEP's supposedly qualified sentries, and had been identified by the DNA scanners to be Artemis Fowl. But of course, that couldn't possibly be?

"Artemis Fowl, along with all his fairy friends, are dead," Sool repeated to himself for comfort. After all, that idiotic pony boy had even issued a glowing obituary for the fallen officers and humans on what most suspected was his blog. Foaly had always been part of these Fowl-related incidents in the past, and there was certainly reason to suspect that he was involved now. So he would certainly know if that exasperating human was still alive, wouldn't he?

But then again, there was that locator gel that Holly Short had shot in what was sure to be her last moments. That discovery in itself had been surprising enough but lately, it had pulsed gently a few times, as if someone was attempting to track it. It was probably Foaly, Sool surmised, grasping at the last straws of hope that his favorite Recon officer had somehow survived. But no, that certainly wasn't possible.

And there was this new surveillance video. As Sool studied that girl who had claimed to be Artemis Fowl, his natural fairy intuition buzzed disturbingly. The girl bore far too strong a resemblance to Holly Short for comfort, Sool discerned as he noted her auburn locks and slight figure that was extremely evocative of the recently deceased officer. But of course it couldn't be, Sool told himself. After all, since when had that feminist tomboy ever worn that much makeup and shamelessly simpered to those guards? And the sentries themselves were LEP and would surely notice if the notorious and supposedly dead Holly Short just walked up to them and began flirting.

Shaking his head to dislodge the discomfort that still remained about such coincidental events, Sool grabbed his communicator and dialed the owner of the nuclear plant. "Sable?"

"Hey, Ark," the middle-aged gnome replied. "How's the hiding out going for ya? Sure you don't wanna come by the plant and wait around with me until the bomb's all ready to go?"

"No, it's safer here," Sool declined, secretly thinking that he wouldn't step any closer to that plant than was absolutely necessary for fear of in case of malfunction. Linden's life may be a fair price for world domination, but Sool's own life and health was certainly not. But he didn't dare utter such traitorous thoughts to one of the few people on the earth or below it who still trusted him. And that was only because the two were old friends and had been since their high school days, united by a common goal of rising to the ultimate level of power.

"Anyway, I just called to ask how it's going on your side," Sool continued. "I've seen some footage of a supposed 'Artemis Fowl' and you know…"

"Not to worry, Ark, not to worry," Sable Linden quickly reassured his partner-in-crime. "I checked it all out and it's just a little glitch. The guards say that it's just a little girl doing a school report who decided to poke a little fun at our security and must've confused the scanners with a human name. They need recharging, anyway."

"Right," Sool nodded, feeling much more confident. "So how much longer do you reckon this business is going to take?"

"In a hurry?"

"Well, you know, I'd rather get this done ASAP, before any could possibly go wrong. You never know about Foaly."

"No, you never do," Linden agreed. "I'd say, give it six more hours and this old bio-bomb will be all ready to go. Aim it at Police Plaza, did you say?"

"Exactly," Sool grinned, thinking of how sweet revenge would be. All those LEP jocks that had held him back from his ultimate ambitions would finally get what they deserved.

"Six hours, Ark, and we'll be all set to go," Linden promised. "So sit tight and wait a little while longer."

"Six hours," Sool rubbed the palms of his hands together in anticipation. "Excellent. I'll see you then."

"Until then," Linden mock saluted the former LEP Recon commander before hanging up.

"Until then," Sool repeated, savoring the saccharine taste of a long-held aspiration finally on the verge of being realized. In the meantime, he would have to distract himself with some equally engaging diversion, he decided. The gnome slide a fairy-made laser disk into his top-quality entertainment center, compete with surround sound and 3-D features. And best of all, this was his favorite disk, a special collection that he had personally cobbled together including his favorite moments from his own career: his promotion to the director of Internal Affairs, the superbly violent death of Julius Root, Holly Short's public disgrace, Artemis Fowl's mind wipe, and of course the explosion that no doubt resulted in the deaths of Short and Fowl.

* * *

"_Artemis Fowl_?" Burl raised one eyebrow. "What was that about?" 

"Um, nothing," Holly paused to listen to the spur-of-the-moment excuse that Foaly was muttering in her ear. "It was just a joke that my friend dared me to do. Thought it would be funny to see if anyone noticed…"

"Hmm…well, it's lucky that thing malfunctioned," Burl muttered. (It was a mark of his extreme stupidity and incompetence that after so many red alarms, he was still not aware of the situation he had become unwittingly ensnared in. But then again, he was on stakeout duty for a reason, no?)

And so the group went on, though Holly made sure to place herself at the back of the pack and halt often, feigning admiration for a plaque or wall hanging. Instead, during these instances when she managed to get out of the earshot of her accompaniment, she would surreptitiously whisper a few words to the rest of the team.

"How are you doing?" Artemis inquired into his especially modified fairy communicator. "Still flirting with those pathetic excuses for professionals?"

"Oh, just peachy. You wouldn't believe how easily those idiots were fooled by the 'it's just a prank' excuse," Holly replied, rolling her eyes in her typically sarcastic manner. But she did notice a strange hint of emotion in the mud boy's usually impassive tone as he mentioned the officers— could it possibly be _jealousy_?

"Anyway, are you guys in yet?" she asked, pausing by a statue of the plant's founder.

"Not yet," Artemis answered. "Mulch is…uh…_excavating_ a route extremely close to the entrance of the main boiler room. We should be there in about…fifteen minutes or so, and we'll rendezvous."

"I'm not sure if I can get away," Holly whispered, struggling not to move her lips, as her escorts motioned for her follow. "They're watching me like a hawk and this whole supposed 'glitch' isn't going to help my case."

"I know," Artemis muttered equally darkly. "They'll probably activate further security measures soon, maybe even initiate a full lockdown. We'll need to get in before then. But providing we do, remember, we meet in fifteen minutes, in front of the main boiler room."

"Okay," Holly agreed, despite her skepticism at Artemis's avowal that his scheme was perfect, despite the missteps that had already hindered them. "I'll be there."

Quickly cutting off her furtive conversation before Arty decided to interrupt her Lili Frond impression, she turned to her brawny guides. "Do you happen to know where the nearest powder room is?" she asked, attempting— and probably failing— to mimic the standard flirting methods coined by those human soap operas that Foaly enjoyed so much. For goodness's sakes, she even managed a mediocre attempt at femininity by twirling a lock of her auburn curls, blinking in as innocent a manner as she could muster. And if as any of Holly Short's friends would know, that wasn't much.

* * *

Crawling along the typical millennia-old ventilation pipe was certainly not the sort of thing Trouble Kelp had in mind when he signed up for the LEP all those decades ago. But of course, as the saying goes, expect the unexpected, and thus, the esteemed commander of LEP Recon was…crawling through a vent. 

"So why aren't we being fried by the heat yet?" Vein asked as he followed the commander. "Even Sool probably needs a little warmth to keep from freezing."

"You idiotic excuses for professionals!" Minerva shouted from the rear of the group. Needless to say, the stress and the expectation that she actually had to participate in the more physical parts of this mission were wreaking havoc with her normally unruffled demeanor. But raising a racket was a particularly bad move, especially on a covert mission, as a certain mastermind would soon discover. "This place is supposed to be abandoned, therefore it shouldn't get power. Even Sool has to keep up appearances if he still wants his identity to remain clandestine."

"Getting tired of the mud girl?" Trouble muttered beneath his breath, bringing up the lead and safely out of the earshot of a certain French genius. Even he, with a certain amount of tolerance for the most annoying of characters, being Grub's brother, after all, was developing a rather severe headache.

"Tell me about it," Vein replied, and the other officers murmured their assent. Quietly, of course, as it wouldn't do to reveal _their_ supposedly covert mission to the enemy, or even worse, allow the conceited little female Artemis Fowl wannabe to find another reason to spout unintelligible insults.

After several moments of forced silence, Kelp ordered a halt, whispering, "I think this is it. I hear voices."

The decibel level among the squad fell even lower, if that was even possible, as each strained his (or her) ears to discern the hushed, but unmistakably present sounds that were emanating from the room below.

"But, sir," a gruff voice protested. "The operation cannot possibly be launched at a faster pace. Mr. Linden has just ordered the nuclear material to be siphoned from the fusion generators, and even in the very best case scenario, it'll be several hours before the materials are ready."

There was a pause as the sentry listened to the other side of the conversation, which was evidently being held over a phone or communicator of some sort. When he spoke again, his voice was hesitating and uncertain. "The staff, sir?" he asked, "Last I heard, many of the technicians and security people are investigating this dumb little glitch in the system."

Another pause as the caller, who was most likely Sool spoke. "Look, mister," the sentry finally said, "I dunno why Mr. Linden hasn't done anything about the glitch, but it's probably because it isn't very important to the plan. I mean, this dumb girl told the DNA scanners that she was Fowl and by some strange miracle it worked…Yes, I'm sure the girl was a redhead. What's the matter?"

Minerva's heart lurched at the very utterance of the familiar name. For the first time today, her hushed voice reflected not arrogance or conceit, but the simple concern of a young woman for her comrade as she whispered, "Do you think this has anything to do with Artemis?"

Trouble spoke into his mike, his voice equally muted, "Chances are, this is Holly's and Artemis's supposedly brilliant plan, but there's nothing we can do about it if they manage to screw it up."

Minerva nodded, though no one could see her affirmative gesture in the utter darkness, with only the barest slices of light emanating from the room below. "Like Butler says, 'there's no such thing as coincidence'."

"Look, if I were you, I wouldn't be spending my time being worried about Fowl," Vein advised, nudging Trouble in the shoulder. "Listen to what they're saying now."

As the commander warily brought his eyes to one of the thin openings in the metal, he received an aerial view of a rather burly gnome sentry, pacing rather anxiously as he spoke to someone on the communicator. By using the zoom filter on his standard LEP helmet, Trouble managed to identify the countenance on the screen as Ark Sool. But the truly important piece of information was not who he was speaking to but what that person had to say.

"Isn't there any way we can find out what Sool's saying?" Minerva asked. "Do you by any chance have something that would magnify the sound in that room?"

Thankfully, Foaly had installed the exact mechanism in new LEP helmets that Minerva was referring to and many others, having taken inspirations from the designs of the obviously superior Section 8 equipment. It was considered nearly blasphemy to ever admit in front of the less-than-humble centaur that any of his paraphernalia ever came in handy, but at this moment, it was tempting to admit that Foaly was indeed the man of the moment.

Trouble Kelp removed a tiny capsule from the side of his helmet and carefully placed it as close to the opening as possible. Through his helmet mike, he commanded the device to "magnify the voice Ark Sool ten times."

In just over a half a second, the words of Ark Sool were resonating rather loudly through the helmets of every LEP officer sitting in the ventilation pipe. True, to the displeasure of the human girl, Minerva was left out, but the rest of the group had an excellent chance to hear Sool's true ambitions.

"Look, I don't care if Linden thinks it's a glitch, I want the entire place locked down, right now. We don't have any more room for error and if there's even a slightest chance that this girl's working for Artemis Fowl, I want the threats neutralized," Sool ordered his sentinel, his voice getting louder and more insistent by the second, even unaided by Foaly's technology.

But his assertions were falling on deaf ears as the other gnome wasn't listening as diligently as he should've been. However, that was admissible, since he had other things on his mind: "Sir," the gnome replied, a sense of urgency extremely evident in his tone. "Forget the plant for a moment. I think we have intruders in _this_ very building."

"They know we're here," Trouble told Minerva, his eyes wide in astonishment, "we need to get out of here somehow."

"They can't possibly," Minerva said, shaking her head adamantly, "I happen to _know_ that we haven't tipped off any sensors. We're completely safe here."

Unfortunately, even genii aren't always correct and it soon became apparent that safety was indeed an extravagance that our motley group did not possess at this time. In fact, it only took about ten seconds for the noxious gas that served as a back-up security measure to render the entire squad unconscious.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hmmm...yet another cliffie, or at least I hope it was suspenseful enough-- that's another thing I'm not too good at. (The list of my faults seem to go on and on, doesn't it? Grammar, romance, suspense...) And it's your job to tell me what was good, and frankly, what wasn't. So, review! 

Also, I'm still looking for a full-time beta so if you're interested, please drop me a line. This would mean that you'd get early editions of every chapter from now on...sound good?

And I also have a little poll for you. All you regular readers know that I have a bit of trouble updating every week as I originally hoped I would. I'm beginning to realize that I really won't be able to get a chapter a week going for very long, basically only on very easy weeks and school vacations, so let's compromise. Would you rather I post long chapters (6 or 7 typed pages on Word) as I've been doing thus far and allow me a bit more time to get it up, or shorter chapters (around 5 pages) every week on the dot? I'd personally rather stick with what I've been doing thus far just for the sake of uniformity...but you decide!

So review and vote!

Until next time,

Lily


	17. The Battle Begins

**Disclaimer:** Don't own, don't sue.

**Author's Note:** Thank you, thank you, thank you to all you kind people who reviewed, bringing me back to my average number of reviewers I had before my little hiatus! And to all those people who didn't...well, the end is near and I will expect a mountainload of compensation when I finish this story.

Did you guys catch that? The end is near! Three or four more chapters, plus an epilogue, and that's it! I know, I can't believe it, either, but it seems to be that I'm finally on the brink of completing a major work- already more than 120 typed, single-spaced pages. And that means, of course, that we're rapidly approaching the climax...muahahaha...

Also, this is the first chapter that I've written with a beta- the great ilex-ferox! So when you read this chapter and find that for once, there's no stupid errors, thank ilex for making my writing a heck of a lot more readable. Here we go:

**Chapter 17 The Battle Begins**

The climate of Haven was entirely controlled by the fairy Council to replicate weather, temperature, and day lengths as if it were aboveground, but this standard did not apply to many of the surrounding towns and suburbs. True, there was a federal law about replicating above-ground climate, but the costly nature of lighting and heating an entire city caused many of the cheaper areas to go pitch-black for days at a time.

Needless to say, Artemis Fowl was sitting in a deserted tunnel in one of these towns, waiting for the ersatz sun to rise, and was not amused when the darkness lingered well into the daytime hours.

One would suppose that these conditions would help Artemis achieve the meditative state that he was yearning for only a few minutes ago, but just as his brain began to flow regularly again, yet another interruption plagued him.

"The tunnel's ready, Artemis," Juliet told him, as she emerged from what formerly a simple sheetrock door— until Mulch had dug his notorious tombstone teeth into it.

Artemis nodded solemnly, and stood, ready to face yet another death defying adventure, courtesy of what his flatulent dwarf friend called his "insane saving-the-world agenda". And this time, there were so many unpredictable elements, even with Foaly's superbly detailed blueprints and Mulch's…bodily talents, that success could hardly be guaranteed.

After all, Mulch specialized in robbing human dwellings for a reason— or rather, two very specific reasons. The first was obvious to any fairy dwarf: human buildings were far easier to penetrate, armed with security measures that were obsolete by fairy standards. But the second was a tad more problematic, if even more apparent as one could imagine, a city built in the depths of the mantle didn't possess much soil, which was, inconveniently, a dwarf's main element.

The earth's mantle was predominantly solid rock and though there were the rare veins of soil. Any credible engineer, even a relatively half-witted one who wished to build a secure facility would avoid these veins like the plague, and a high-risk building like the nuclear power plant in question would be no exception.

However, as Artemis had reasoned, if Mulch could adroitly break _out_ of fairy prisons as well as _into_ human dwellings, a plant he had already penetrated in his youth would be no problem. Though in hindsight, he may have been underestimating the security systems that have appeared since the antiquated days of Mulch's youth, but his assumption should, in theory, be correct.

"See, these builders were sloppy from the beginning," Mulch had told the group, rapping his knuckle on the flimsy wall, "sure they build the fancy steel and whatnot in the front to impress the stock holders, but in the back, especially in an abandoned place like this, there was really no need to go the whole nine yards. So, this wall, it's just sheetrock glorified with some metallic paint."

"But weren't they worried about robbers?" Juliet had asked. "I mean, it has to be insanely dangerous if just anyone could get their hands on nuclear energy."

"Sure," Mulch had replied, "But there were CCTV cameras even back then, as soon as you get in so they'd just get you there. Besides, the average convict isn't going to nab from a nuclear plant— what if you accidentally set off something? So it's actually quite easy to make it in, just not so easy to stay in without getting caught."

And thus, Mulch had exercised his talent on the sheetrock and cleared a safe path around the storerooms containing various apparatus needed for the complicated science of nuclear fusion. And true to his expectation, the local authorities had been too stingy to shell out for better security around the rooms containing equipment that would be utterly worthless to the average thief. Consequently, it was thanks to the parsimony of bureaucrats that our heroes were one step closer to saving the world as they knew it.

As Artemis and Juliet made their way through the newly excavated wood paneling to join Mulch at the innermost storerooms, the dwarf was occupied with attempting to spit extremely, _extremely_ far.

This was more heroic and imperative than it may seem at first sight since although dwarf spittle would congeal upon contact and effectively short out nearly every device Mulch had tried it on so far, it also hardened immediately on contact with air. Of course, Artemis recognized the dilemma.

"You do realize that even if you did somehow manage to coat _that_ with spittle, it would be like dancing a jig to the authorities?" Artemis raised one eyebrow as he peeked through the sliver-thin crack in the door. Most unfortunately, the DNA scanner for this corridor was not only located about ten feet away from their current position, but was mounted on the ceiling.

"Look, Arty," Mulch grumbled, staring at the device as if his will alone would cause it to drop conveniently to a more accessible location. "Just tell me how long you need in there to disarm the bomb."

Artemis shook his head. "It won't be that easy, Mulch. The bomb will undoubtedly have been modified and perhaps even armed with nuclear power from this very plant. I can't say."

"But you have a plan, Artemis, you always do," Juliet said, joining them at the door. "Would it kill you for once to tell us what's going on?"

Artemis did not reply, instead choosing to join Mulch in scrutinizing the device. Even in the brief period that he had had to contemplate the situation, certain facts had become extremely clear to him, which probably had not occurred to anyone else. But it would do no good to distress the rest of the group at such a critical part of the plan, and the success of the plan was everything. The plan must come first.

"Mulch," the Irish mastermind muttered softly, "could you not simply use your bodily functions to deflect the scanner away from us? Where is the ion beam pointing?"

"No good, mud boy," the dwarf shook his head. "It's not mounted on anything that could possibly swivel so easily. This _is_ a Koboi system, you know."

Holly chose this moment to interrupt through Artemis's modified fairy communicator, "We're about a corridor down, Artemis. You have about a minute, two minutes, tops."

"Right," Artemis muttered, making a few quick calculations in his head. "Fine, Mulch, we'll use the spittle. Admittedly, it'd probably blow our cover, but it's too late to worry about that now."

"But how?" Juliet voiced the question on everyone's mind. "There's no way Mulch can spit that far."

"For goodness sakes, Juliet," Artemis replied coolly, "you've attended high school. Surely you know how to shoot a spitball."

* * *

The words _this is __**not**__ part of the plan_ might have been uttered by a seething Artemis Fowl in vexation at the scraps that his genius was reduced to upon facing reality. But at this particular moment, the phrase would more aptly describe Minerva Paradizo's situation. 

She had awoken in a small, concrete lined cell, accompanied by half a dozen snoring fairies who composed Trouble Kelp's supposedly top-notch Retrieval squad. As could only be expected, all their equipment had been confiscated, including, as a distraught Minerva soon discovered, all the valuables on her person, such as a Rado watch embellished with diamonds. If kidnapping had not been enough, this fact alone would've been sufficient to aggravate Minerva; after all that watch had been priced at 40,000 euros.

"Awake?" Another voice called across the darkness.

Minerva rubbed her eyes as her retinas adjusted to the dark, and made out the barest outlines of an elf. "Trouble?" she inquired, feeling more vulnerable than she had ever been before in her short life.

"Yeah," the elf grunted in affirmation. "Got any idea where we are?"

"I would presume somewhere in Sool's manor," Minerva replied, her usual conceited manner beginning to return after the shock of such a failure.

Trouble sighed. Their original objective had been to capture Sool before he could realize what Artemis and Holly were up to, rendering him incapable of retaliation. Unfortunately, from what they last heard, it seemed as if he was already on their trail and who knew how long they had been unconscious, powerless to stop him?

"I would also assume that leaving us to simply starve here would not be their ultimate intention," Minerva continued. "No doubt they'll wish to question us, in case we prove to be a threat to their schemes."

True to the French girl's prediction, the door suddenly burst open, revealing a brawny gnome, perhaps the same one that they had eavesdropped on earlier. He cast an eye around the room and halted upon seeing the current commander of the LEP sitting in his dungeon.

"Kelp?" he whispered, clearly taken aback. "Aren't you supposed to be dead?"

"Well, seeing as I'm breathing and talking, I'd hazard a guess at 'no'," Trouble replied.

"Well, there's a rumor circulating around the underground that the lot of you," he paused for thought, "that Fowl boy and that girly captain too, that you're all dead."

"Ah…I don't know about Short or Fowl," Trouble said cautiously, only just remembering that they had hoodwinked Sool into believing that they had all perished back in Nice.

"And it seems that no one's quite sure now who's dead and who isn't," the gnome went on. "If that weren't interesting enough on its own, then this, the commander of the LEP sitting here with a relatively small team and a human girl, must be. Happen to know anything about that?"

"Look, we're going to be honest with you," Minerva interrupted, to Trouble's astonishment. "We're on this covert mission to check out why people are in this abandoned mansion. Care to explain yourself?"

"The commander of the LEP is going on such a minor mission, and with a human girl?" the gnome scoffed skeptically. "Either Recon's really going to the dogs, or you're lying. And as much as I'm not a fan of the establishment, I'll take my odds on option number two."

Minerva rolled her eyes, displaying, or perhaps feigning, indifference to his accusations. "That's the truth," she repeated, for after all it was, albeit with a mild parsing of the facts. "Mesmerize me if you like, but if you're looking for info about Artemis Fowl, I can't tell you. But I can say that there won't be many who do know what he's really planning. It isn't his style to inform people of his true intentions before the very last minute."

"So then you are working for Artemis Fowl," the gnome deduced. "To bring down Ark Sool?"

"Last I checked, that's already been done," Trouble said, acting far cockier than he should've been in the circumstances. But perhaps he was a bit tired of always being the reliable one. Perhaps it was time to take a few risks, and reap a few rewards along the way.

"Look, I know you guys aren't completely in the dark in what's going on," the gnome said. "You aren't stupid, you know what Sool's planning. Well, I'm not stupid either and I'm telling you that if you don't tell me the whereabouts of Artemis Fowl right this minute…"

"You could just mesmerize me," Minerva suggested helpfully. "I am a human after all."

What is she doing? Trouble wondered, hoping that she wasn't about to voluntarily spill the beans, metaphorically, of course.

"Good idea, mud girl," the gnome answered, "except for one minor problem; I don't have any magic. The boss doesn't like any of his lackeys to be more powerful than him, magically or any other way. So tell me where Artemis Fowl is, or I'll make sure you never get out of here."

"Sure," Minerva agreed. "Artemis's in the Bahamas, vacationing with his family."

* * *

For the first time in her life, Major Holly Short wished that she had actually read all those grocery store tabloids that instructed teenage girls on the proper way to attract a guy. However, she had never been interested in those silly magazines, unlike Mariana, and SO was wretchedly unenlightened on the proper way to apply eyeliner without stabbing yourself in the eye or how to bat your eyelashes without mascara sticking to your cheek. For once, having her little sister here might actually have been helpful. Or for that matter Juliet. 

Holly took one last deep breath as she walked behind the two sentries, recalling a similar situation all those years ago. But back then, it had been she who had disapprovingly told the wild card human girl that it wasn't all fun and games. Well, perhaps it was time for the tables to turn once again.

"Guess what?" she said, tapping the pair on the shoulder, as they rounded the corner.

"What?" the dull-witted corporals swung around obediently, completely entranced by the pretty girl.

"As soon as I get back to HQ, I'm going to fire you guys," she said, still in the tones of a flirtatious girl. With those lovely parting words, Holly agilely booted the two males where it would really hurt.As they doubled over in pain, Holly snatched off two of the ostentatious but heavy rings that she was wearing, taking careful aim as she launched them at the guards, targeting precise pressure points. And true to her aim, the two fell straight through the newly opened door behind them.

"Nice shot, fairy girl," Juliet remarked as she stepped from behind the door, surreptitiously kicking the now unconscious sentries out of the way.

"Well, I just had to try out your little trick with the ring sometime," Holly laughed, passing the jade weapons back to the Jade Princess herself. Juliet was right: she had almost forgotten how good it felt to kick some pretentious butts just for the heck of it.

"The clock is ticking now," Artemis reminded his comrades. "It's probably too much to hope for that no one's realized what we're up to by now, so time is of the essence."

"Are we wiped from the CCTV patterns, Foaly?" Holly asked the technical genius through her communicator.  
"Hey, it wasn't easy, and I had to do some serious hacking, but it's done," Foaly replied. "All Sool and his lackeys will see is these two idiots going into the storerooms rather haphazardly, but of their own accord, and you following them. And right now, this corridor will look completely empty on the cameras."

"Excellent," Artemis said. "That will buy us a few more minutes at the very least."

"And the DNA scanner?" Holly asked, only to glance up and find the spittle-encased, previously-operational, security system. "Oh," she muttered, unable to resist a wry smile at the sight despite the dire circumstances.

"But how are we going to pry that door open?" Juliet pointed out the obvious problem.

"Don't sweat it, Stinker," Mulch interjected, as he ambled over to the steel monstrosity that marked the boundary between them and the main boiler room. "They kept the old door but added the new scanners," Mulch pointed out.

With those infamous tombstone teeth, the dwarf dug into the hinges keeping the door shut. It took a few excruciatingly slow seconds riddled with the sounds of something cracking, but it wasn't too long before the door swung submissively open before the determined group.

"How…?" Holly and Juliet asked simultaneously, unable to believe that even Mulch's incredible teeth could beat the strength of steel.

"You know what they say," Mulch said as he spit out the discarded piece of metal, "an object is only as strong as its weakest point."

"Physics," Artemis said simply. "Although I wouldn't have thought that Mulch Diggums of all people knew anything about science."

"Tricks of the trade, mud boy," the dwarf replied haughtily. "I didn't get this far in this business without a bit of brains."

"Amounting to eighteen convictions?" Holly raised one eyebrow, amid a few giggles from Juliet. "Yes, you must be just brilliant."

"Come on," Artemis said, breaking up the battle of wits that constantly took place among such an ill-assorted group of individuals. "Let's go get in there before Sool does."

The group halted for a moment, staring into the entrance to what was sure to be yet another spiraling abyss of an adventure. Doubts filled the minds of each person, but the benefit of quiet reflection about one's desires and decisions was not a luxury granted to our heroes and heroines. And so, they stepped forward, feigning nonchalance and hiding their disquiet, preparing to wage battle once more against the forces that threatened to destroy them.

* * *

A sudden electrical failure in a major security measure was not something the average proprietor took lightly, especially not the owner of a highly volatile nuclear power plant. Therefore, Sable Linden had to pause for several moments in astonishment before realizing that a major component in his system had been compromised. 

"Aspen!" he barked out, summoning his head of security. "Look at this video clip for a moment. Where did Flint and Beech just go?"

The wide-shouldered head of security studied the footage and began rather hesitantly, "Well, Mr. Linden, it looks like they just went in that storeroom with that girl. Is that what you asked them to do?"

And that was indeed what the security footage showed, though it wasn't quite the truth, and one might note the strange, seemingly-forced gait of the two LEP officers. But Linden had no choice but to admit that what he saw was, at least partially, genuine. "No, they're supposed to be standing guard outside," he finally responded. "Now, go fetch them, and tell them to return to their post immediately."

"Yes, sir," the ever-obedient Aspen left to carry out his command, secretly treasonously wondering what his employer was up to with such suspiciously paranoid behavior.

Indeed, Linden was doing much, much more than he ought to have been. He returned to scrutinizing the footage and realized that only a few moments after the officers' abrupt departure, a section seem to disappear off the hinge of the metal portal leading to the main generators. But just as quickly, the section seemed to reappear on the video, after a quick jump…a jump in the video? Linden certainly knew enough about security systems and intruders to understand that he was being fed a loop. First the redheaded girl who had mysteriously disappeared into the storeroom with his guards, then the "Artemis Fowl" glitch, and now this. It was definitely time to call Sool again, he decided.

"Sool?" the rather anxious co-conspirator asked, as he stared at his precious nuclear generators, for fear of sabotage in AT such a crucial moment.

"Linden. What do you need?"

"The girl's left, but I just found out that they're feeding me a loop. I thought you might be interested," Linden paused. In reality, though he liked to pretend that Sool confided in him, he really knew nearly nothing about the gnome's true intentions. But you know the story, when opportunity comes a-knocking, it's time to jump on the bandwagon. "Is there something I should know about that girl?"

A sigh on the other side of the line. And then, "Yes, that girl, I'm not sure if you noticed, but I personally suspect that it's Holly Short, the girl behind the Fowl affairs, I'm sure you've heard of her in the papers? Yes? Well, I thought she and that Fowl boy were dead but it seems not, and I've got one of their accomplices in custody right now who's telling me just that. And to tell you the truth, if anyone has the will and the wits to stop this operation, it'll be them."

Linden sucked in his breath, finally realizing that this whole affair he had unwittingly dived into would not be quite as straightforward as he had originally hoped. But he still had the upper hand and this battle was on his territory. No matter what the cost, they would win.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sooooo excruciatingly close to the climax, isn't it? But alas, you'll have to wait another week for me to translate my thoughts into coherent writing. In the meantime, why don't you submit a review and make a writer very, very happy? Pretty please with a cherry on top?

Lily


	18. Check and Mate

**Disclaimer:** Considering the fact that if Eoin Colfer ever found out what I made his characters do, I think this means I don't own 'em. Owen (Eoin) owns 'em.

**Author's Note:** I know I'm late on updating today, but it's here and I want you all to know that I really put my butt to work today, blowing off a mountain of homework to get this here. It's the climax.

That having been said, I hope it's good enough, because I know quite painfully that it's great. But I tried to fix everything my beta, the amazing ilex-ferox (I absolutely adored the line you added about Skylar Peat!), reccommended and hopefully, it's still up to my usual standards. Besides, this has been just really difficult for me to write and I really want to get it over with and off my chest. So here goes:

* * *

**Chapter 18 Check and Mate**

Although many people regard a genius as simply someone with an incredible amount of knowledge stored within their brain, his or her true ability is far more constructive. Instead of merely amassing facts, true genii possess the ability to process information at astounding speeds, giving such genii the edge on everything from exams to doing taxes without the assistance of a calculator.

Minerva was such a genius and had innately produced a plausible yet thoroughly misleading answer to the sentry's query: "Where is Artemis Fowl?"

She had calmly replied that the person in question was in the Bahamas and anyone staring into those frosty, azure eyes would have sworn she was telling the truth. The young woman did not fidget or blink excessively, her words were clearly enunciated, and her tone was assured. For her words were indeed factual— Artemis Fowl was in the Bahamas, even if Artemis Fowl II was elsewhere

The sentry blinked in surprise at her candidness. Even he, a mere layfairy, could distinguish the truth from a lie, no matter how convincing; a skill that was much easier than most fairy psychologists liked to pretend. In fact, the ability could easily be gleaned from a college psychology course.

"I'll check that," he finally muttered, unsure of how to react to such unexpected forthrightness.

The girl stood to her to full height, stared the gnome directly in the eye, and demanded, "You promised. The information for our liberty."

"How do I know that you aren't collaborating with Artemis Fowl?" the gnome asked suspiciously.

"If he really was involved, don't you think he'd be doing something other than vacationing right now?" Minerva countered, her voice dripping of honeyed innocence.

But still the gnome shook his head. "I can't," he said, glancing around warily, "Sool would kill me."

"I understand," Minerva said complacently. With a curt tap of one foot as a surreptitious signal, she pulled on the hem of her skirt, preparing to sit down. But before she could even sink to the cold concrete, half the LEP Retrieval team had leapt on the unsuspecting gnome. It only took them a fleeting three seconds before the sentinel was unconscious and trussed with his own shoelaces, the ring of electronically-coded keys on his waistband pocketed by Minerva.

"Well, Sool will know that we got out, but this is the best we can do," Trouble concluded as the group hurried down the corridor.

"Just one more turn and we should be at the control center," Minerva stated , her photographic memory coming in handy as she recalled the blueprints of the building.

Lo and behold, a reinforced steel door was all that stood between them and soon Sool. Vein brought up the obvious problem, "How do we get in?"

Minerva tried every key on the ring she had confiscated from the sentry: none worked. It was hardly surprising; after all, what criminal mastermind would hand the key to the nerve center of his operation to a mere lackey? But the result was highly ironic for the group— after coming so far in their quest, their mission was halted by the power of a simple electronic lock.

"Now is your moment," Minerva muttered to herself, racking her brains for an answer that she knew existed. And by Ocam's razor, the simplest solution to a dilemma is often the correct one. Then it hit her.

* * *

A bio-bomb is an extremely complicated device in its own right, fueled by solinium contained within a sleek, aerodynamic capsule and focused to spread over a limited area before dissipating. Yet as soon as Artemis Fowl II laid eyes on the device that stood quite innocently behind one of the nuclear generators, he knew that this was no average bio-bomb.

Holly could feel it too as she halted beside him. "It can't be," she whispered, desperately hoping that her instinct and the gnawing feeling that more nuclear power was eating away at her magic were wrong.

"Oh, but it is," Artemis replied. "Sool and his cronies have somehow managed to incorporate nuclear energy into this bio-bomb. Extremely fitting for such a destructive weapon, isn't it?"

"Too much so," Holly shook her head, dislodging the thoughts that always plagued her mind where nuclear power was involved; but now was not the time to dwell on horrors of the past.

"But what use is it to Sool to have two bombs in one? Isn't one deadly force enough?" Juliet asked. Mulch was surprisingly silent on this matter, occupied with the task of munching on substances unknown.

"I am certain that this device works by combining the fissionable material into a critical mass, but instead of simply igniting a nuclear explosion, it also ignites the solinium in the bio-bomb. Doubly effective no doubt, and such a bomb can not be simply outrun," Artemis noted, circling the device as he spoke.

"If the explosion doesn't get you, the radiation will," Holly muttered, knowing all too well what damage would be inflicted.

"Exactly," Artemis replied. "There is no escape from such a force and, if only out of fear, the world— human and fairy— would surrender to him.

"Mulch," Artemis addressed the dwarf, "you know what to do. Now go and complete it as soon as possible. After that, you can go back to Haven. We'll be fine from here."

The dwarf nodded and disappeared out the door before Holly could protest. "And what exactly is he supposed to be doing?"

But before the Irish mastermind had a chance to elaborate, a sound alerted them to danger. Even before the lightning-fast reflexes of Juliet and Holly had a chance to respond, a few simple Neutrino bursts neutralized the group. That is, all except Artemis.

The young man happened to be hidden behind the device at the moment of the attack and was frozen in terror as the unconscious forms of his friends were captured, one by one. For all his experiences, his fear and Darwinian sense of survival overtook his loyalty and he simply stood there as the guards dragged his companions away. Despite the fact that the plan's success depended on him remaining at liberty, Artemis couldn't help but feel that his refusal to go to their aid was a weakness. A weakness that was also a strength.

* * *

"It's unlocked?" Trouble stared at the barely-ajar door in absolute shock. "Why would Sool leave the entrance to the nerve center of his operation completely unprotected?"

"Simple," Minerva sighed, the weight of her own genius burdening her conscience like an anchor. She pushed the door open; already knowing what they would find within. "See for yourself."

The steel portal yielded effortlessly, swinging smoothly on its well-oiled hinges. But even so, it seemed to take an eternity for the crack in the door to widen enough until what was— or was not— inside was visible for all to see.

"No," Trouble whispered. "It can't be."

But it was. The room was empty.

* * *

Former IA director and one-time Recon Commander Ark Sool strode briskly down the deserted lane, looking for all the world like an accomplished man thoroughly at ease with himself. And today, indeed, he was, for in a few more excruciating minutes, the world would be at the mercy of the weapon of ultimate destruction he had created.

And of course, there was the immense satisfaction at having tricked the supposedly top-notch team of his successor, that mere boy, Trouble Kelp. Sool had nearly cackled aloud when his sentry had spoken of an entire retrieval team hiding out in his inherited mansion. Sool hadn't expected the great Trouble Kelp to fall for the simple ruse of depositing the locator elsewhere and leaving the enemy to grasp at nonexistent straws.

But where was his true lair, one might ask, if not in Chile? In reality, Sool resided only a few blocks away from his precious nuclear-powered bio-bomb, in a seemingly ordinary apartment he had rented under an alias several months before. It was far enough away to escape a possible leak from the power plant, and besides, Linden knew only too well his life depended on keeping the dangerous fissile materials out of harm's way. And how could this megalomaniac dwell so far away from the weapon that had become so dear and vital to his plan? It was ridiculous to assume so, something only an overactive imagination the likes of Artemis Fowl could think up. After all, the boy believed in fairies at age twelve!

With the point of no return rapidly approaching, Sool was nearing the true nerve center of his operations— the nuclear power plant of Sable Linden. In spite of everything, how could the mastermind behind it all not be present for the denouement of his own ingenious plot?

As the abnormally tall gnome entered the facility, four supercilious words fluttered upon the tunnel breeze: "Check and mate, Fowl."

* * *

The term cruel and unusual punishment tends to be used very loosely nowadays, especially among human teenagers. But it accurately described the prospect that Holly and Juliet faced as they sat in the control room with a clear view of the nuclear reactors where Artemis Fowl would shortly be exterminated. To make matters worse, Sable Linden was revealing the machinations of his evil plot as they waited in terror.

"You see, it was all trap," he explained. "Your friends Trouble Kelp and Minerva Paradizo are currently in custody, but even if they were to miraculously escape and complete their share of your supposedly brilliant scheme, they would have nothing to do. Sool isn't even in Chile right now. He's here, or he will be in a moment's time, to annihilate your human friend, right in front of your eyes.

"How does it feel, Miss Short, hmmm?" he paused in front of Holly, for the pleasure of taunting her. "You don't still hate that human boy, do you? Or do you _love_ him?"

Luckily for everyone who wished to live free of tyrannical dictators like Ark Sool Holly Short was not one to break easily. Over the years, she had learned to withstand psychological ploys quite well and manage to keep her concentration under pressure. And of course, she had a plan.

Using Vinyaya's old battlefield trick, she rubbed together the ropes that bound her wrists until she grazed her skin, siphoning off some of her healing magic to burn through the restraints. Meanwhile, Juliet managed to twist her legs out of the cords binding her ankles (the wonders of yoga, apparently) and was surreptitiously preparing to strike. But Linden noticed none of this, blissfully misinterpreting the girls' silence as defenselessness.

"And soon, our miraculous weapons will be launched. Firstly on Haven which will surrender, and after that we shall construct new weapons and unleash them on all the cities of the human world," Linden sighed with pleasure at the thought. "And there is nothing you can do to stop it."

Of course, a villain should never say something so incredibly clichéd and conceited, especially at such a vital moment. Always the drama queen, Juliet seized that moment to act, swinging her legs out in a perfect spinning kick. As the gullible elf was incapacitated by the pain, Holly utilized her lightning fast reflexes, simultaneously stealing the gun on his waistband and binding Linden's wrists with the same ropes she had freed herself from. After that it was a simple matter for the girls to toss the unconscious elf into the nearest closet.

"Amazing moves, fairy girl," Juliet grinned, relishing their success.

"You too," Holly smiled in return, although her rejoicing was quickly broken off when she remembered Artemis' predicament. "But, isn't it about time to go and save Arty's helpless little butt?"

"Right," Juliet agreed, sounding as if she had forgotten her charge in their moment of frivolity. (Only for Juliet Butler could said frivolity involve pummeling self-important males into submission.) But as the two girls looked through the layer of glass separating them from the main reactor room it appeared they were too late.

* * *

For a moment it seemed, the world's eyes were on Artemis Fowl. There was nothing left but him now, between Sool and the most dangerous weapon known to both fairy and man. And for those who know, the world was in real danger if it depended on a puny Mud Boy to thwart a megalomaniac.

But of course, Artemis was relying on his mind, not brute strength, to defeat these obstacles. And of all people, it was he who had known from the beginning that Ark Sool would not dare separate himself from his treasured weapon and leave himself so open to attack. But no one else could know that, not then, for it was all part of the plan. After all, imagine the outcome if he, Holly, Trouble, and Minerva were reduced to a bunch of squabbling idiots, bickering over romantic issues at an extremely inopportune moment. No, he could not allow that to happen so some of them had to be distracted with a fictitious mission in order for the true brilliance of his plan to be achieved.

"Here he comes, Artemis," Foaly said through the genius's earpiece. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," the Irish boy nodded, his icy blue eyes filled with steely determination as he stared his enemy in the eye. One step and he was out in the open, confronting the fast-approaching Sool.

"So this is how it ends for the great Artemis Fowl?" Sool smirked in victory. "Deserted by those he supposedly calls friends, and all alone awaiting his doom. Sad, isn't it?"

Artemis thrust his hands into the pockets of his dark trousers, feigning nonchalance despite his apprehension. "Oh, not really, if you think about it. We're alone here, Sool, and I see nothing to prevent our future collaboration, do you? After all, my loyalties are very easily turned as you well know."

The gnome's high-pitched laughter rang out through the empty chamber. "Oh that I do, that I do," he agreed. "But even I thought that you would've cared a bit more for your supposed friends, if only for the sake of Holly Short."

It was Artemis's turn to chuckle. "You ought to know better than anyone else which way the wind is blowing. And I intend to be on the winning side, and asinine emotional matters are of no consequence. I, of course, was never one to wear my heart on my sleeve like a common fool."

"Very true," Sool grinned maliciously. This recent turn of events was even better than he could've ever dreamed of-- not only was the might of a weapon of mass destruction behind him but the wits of a mastermind like Artemis Fowl was too. "Very well, I shall accept your offer. Together, we shall conquer the world."

There was a hushed scuffle from the outer edges of the room, but it was barely audible over the ongoing conversation and any sign of movement was blocked by the rows of massive generators. Artemis's left eye just barely twitched in acknowledgment beneath his contact lens, but Sool failed to notice the interruption.

"But I do wonder about one thing," Artemis continued. "How did you manage to extract such loyalty from your…ah…employees? From what I've heard they're willing to give up their magic, at least temporarily, and obey any order you give. Quite extraordinary, if you ask me."

"Your family motto is aurum est potestas, isn't it?" Sool remarked. "How true that is. As you well know, I've got quite a bit of gold, and with assets like that, anything is possible. In fact, I might even say that it is my ace in the hole."

"Really?" Artemis replied, his voice soft, tempered with just a hint of trepidation, quickly hidden beneath his customary impassivity. For a moment, if one watched extremely closely, the human could be seen turning his head slightly to the left, and winking at what seemed to be a perfectly innocent generator. But as quickly as a carrot would disappear down Foaly's gullet, the movement ended and Artemis's voice filled the room again, "Well, this is my ace in the hole. _Check and mate_, Sool."

As soon as Artemis had spoken these words several events occurred, indeed they occurred so rapidly that the incident had to be re-played later at half-speed to allow the LEP strategists to analyze it. Firstly, Artemis took a few hasty steps backwards, careful to stop directly in front of the bio-bomb; wasting no time, he immediately began to examine the contraption. Simultaneously, a single blast of fiery light enveloped the area, missing Artemis by mere inches, but hitting Sool full on and knocking him unconscious.

Holly emerged completely unscathed from behind the generator, Juliet at her heels. She made a point of scowling disapprovingly at Artemis, although relief was unmistakably reflected in her eyes. "You just had to drag it out so long, Fowl. You do know that he could've mesmerized you at any moment, and this whole operation would've gone straight down the tubes?"

"Which is why I kept him safely distracted at all times," Artemis replied, his eyes scrutinized on the inner workings of the weapon. "And lo and behold, I managed to construct a perfect segue into the cue words so Sool never had a chance to react."

The cue words were "check and mate", of course, and had activated the stun grenade that Mulch had planted underneath the floors only minutes earlier.

"Always so dramatic," Holly muttered. "I wonder if you even realize that this isn't a movie."

"Oh really?" Artemis raised one eyebrow coyly. "I was under the impression that our Arctic adventure was cinematized just a few years ago. Skylar Peat was rather fetching, I believe."

"Come on, guys," Juliet interrupted, before Holly had a chance to retort. "This is really not the time to be bickering about movies. If you've noticed, the timer says we've got all of five minutes."

"I won't need that long," Artemis answered smugly, as he pointed a slender fingertip at the inner mechanisms of the device. "You see, the simple explosive will combine the two sub-critical masses which will cause a nuclear blast and simultaneously set off the solinium flares."

"So if the explosive doesn't go off, none of that happens?" Holly inquired, catching his drift quite easily for once.

"Exactly," Artemis smirked haughtily as he removed Butler's tools from his wallet and gently unscrewed the explosive device from the rest of the mechanism. However, this wasn't quite as simple as it seemed, given that the magnetic bolts were made to be fastened permanently. However, after some deft manipulation with a powerful magnet, Artemis managed to remove them.

"Well?" Juliet asked, hoping that this whole affair was over and done with.

"Well, this," Artemis nodded his head towards the explosive, "is still going to explode and I don't have time to disarm it. What we can do is set it off in the nearest chute where it won't do any damage."

Holly glanced warily at the timer. A minute, 20 seconds, and counting. "Well then," she said, a sparks lighting up in her hazel eyes as she clipped Artemis and Juliet to her Moonbelt, "let's fly."

Needless to say, Holly Short was not known for undue caution when it came to flying.

* * *

Moments later, a fiery explosion scorched the edges of E-42. A lone recreational pilot swerving about the chute's curves was extremely taken aback by the rather extraordinary sight of a detonation seemingly appearing from nowhere. He was equally surprised to notice a petite figure soaring at a positively reckless speed away from the explosion, the hair flying behind her a reddish blur to match the hue of the flames.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sheesh, I'm glad the hard part's over...even I never expected it'd be so much work writing and polishing the important parts of a fic. But remember, this isn't over yet and there is still hell to pay about Artemis's and Holly's little...shall we say...encounters? But more on that for the next chapter.

I've told you about this epilogue I have planned, right? Well, it's vague-ish and mildly oneshot-like so I thought I'd give you guys a choice. Would you like the epilogue to be part of this fic or a seperate piece on its own? I'd very clearly mark it as the epilogue to Collision if it were seperate, of course, so you'd have no trouble finding it. But I thought it would be kind of nice to treat it as a oneshot so people wouldn't have to wade through this monstrosity of a story to read some beautiful lines by Audre Lorde in AF context. So, please, vote in your review and support democracy!

Speaking of reviewing, please do. Think of it as my holiday gift. Please?

Lily


	19. Under Oath

**Disclaimer:** Don't sue, Colfer, especially since I've twisted your characters so much in this chapter that they only barely resemble yours…

**Author's Note:** So, I'm back from vacation and I just wanted you guys to know that basically all of the rest of this story is already done and written— all I have left to do is revise and redo some parts that are…iffy to say in the least. So you know what that means— if you guys review a lot (and I mean a lot), I might just hurry up and post it earlier!

Anyways, I think this chapter is going off on a limb a bit but my beta assures me it's fine so we'll see. This is definitely a different sort of chapter- much more political, more insights into fairy society, I think. And I have to say, I really loved writing it. Also, apparently I'm a bit sexist so if there are any guys still reading this, excuse the girl talk. Oh yes, and if you're over…13 or so, you might find a few phrases in here to be quite interesting. (I'm very proud of the fact that I've never once used s-- in this story!)

So here goes:

* * *

**Chapter 19 Under Oath**

The Council was not pleased. Of course, those antiquated demagogues were rarely pleased with anything except their own supposed brilliance. But even Vinyaya had to admit that the displeasure that struck most Council members upon hearing the news (and seeing some rather disturbing video clips) regarding a certain female Recon officer and a particularly exasperating mud boy was extraordinary, to say the least.

"This," Cahertez had to take a deep breath in order to regain what little composure he still possessed, "is absolutely unacceptable."

Vinyaya sighed, her political acumen struggling to find a viable solution to the situation. It was quite bad, granted, especially with the fact that there was actual video evidence of some serious…_misconduct_ by one of her most famed officers. No doubt that some terrible press would soon ensue and who knew how many decades that could set back the female issues, what with Holly being _the_ test case and all.

"Even you could not admit deny that is clearly factual, Vinyaya," Cahertez continued. "And you trained the girl yourself. What have you got to say about this?"

"Only that if I know Holly at all, it was just an innocent mistake," Vinyaya attempted.

"An innocent mistake?" Lope interjected. "I'm sorry, Vinyaya, and I usually tend to agree with you on these matters, but there was nothing innocent about this."

"I only ask that you wait until the shuttles come in and let Major Short speak for herself," Vinyaya finally said. "I'm sure she has an excellent explanation and I would greatly appreciate it if you'd all just give her the benefit of the doubt, at least for the time being."

"Oh, yes and I'm sure this excellent explanation of hers will be chock full of buttered-up lies, Councilwoman," Cahertez replied ruthlessly. "The only question left in my mind is whether those lies are hers or yours?"

Vinyaya rose, unable to stand such blatant character assassination. Besides, this would be in the morning papers tomorrow for sure and she had to act the part of a wronged victim. But before she could retort, an intern burst into the room.

"Chairman," he said breathlessly, clearly exhilarated to see the politician in person. "Two shuttles just came into the port and, by the looks of it, it's the Commander and his forces."

"Fine, fine," the chairman dismissed the page with a wave of his hand. He stood, facing his female colleague with all the animosity he could muster, "Well, Vinyaya, I suppose it's time to hear the events from your precious little test case's point of view."

"You _will_ allow her a fair hearing, Cahertez," Vinyaya said, heels supplementing her height to allow her to rise to Cahertez's sightline, "or I will make sure that the press corps knows about every detail of your little trysts."

With those lovely parting words, the only female on the Council stalked off to meet her favorite Recon officer, her stilettos punctuating the astonished silence with raucous taps.

* * *

For a young Recon officer clearly rising in the public eye and who had just accomplished a feat to rival the greatest achievements of many officers double her age, having actually saved her entire civilization from utter destruction for the _fifth_ time, Major Holly Short was not in the best of moods. As the familiar lights of the LEP shuttleport neared in her windshield, gloom and foreboding welled up within her. It was not so much that she was afraid of her own fate in the face of the tribunal, for she had faced them only too many times already, but of what her mentor and last true guardian angel would say. Vinyaya had always stood by her protégée and led her to success; but how could she, this time? 

Juliet sat in the copilot's chair, also surprisingly silent. In another time and place, the two young females might have tittered about wrestling or shuttles or whether glitter eyeshadow really worked for distracting the wandering eyes of male opponents. But today, each had more somber matters on their minds.

"You're going to cave, aren't you?" Juliet asked. Though she didn't specify, Holly knew exactly what she was referring to. "You're just going to issue this insane formal apology and save your media image, huh?"

"I don't know, Juliet," Holly replied. And it was the truth. She would wait until she heard what Vinyaya had to say about this first; after all, she owed her one faithful supporter on the Council that much at least.

But Juliet plowed on with her soliloquy. "Remember how you said that I shouldn't be a bodyguard? That I have too much heart for it?" Juliet asked. Holly nodded reluctantly. "I owe you one for that. No one had ever thought of what I might want before, they'd always just laid out my life for me. I had two choices— be a maid or be a bodyguard. I never realized that maybe I could be something else.

"You gave me that," Juliet said. "You gave me eight years of doing what _I_ wanted, instead of what I was expected to do, and they were the best damn eight years of my life. And now I want to repay you. For once in your life, don't just do what's right, do what would make you happy. Don't listen to them, Holly, just because they make you feel guilty - don't fall for what they say. If you love Artemis, then stand up for yourself, don't just fold and apologize when you have nothing to apologize for."

Holly had to laugh, in spite of herself. "After all these years," she remarked. "You're still a wild card."

"And proud of it," Juliet grinned, tossing her blonde locks over her shoulder in the manner that caused even the toughest of wrestlers to absolutely swoon.

As the shuttle glided effortlessly through the last few feet to the landing docks, Holly regarded the solemn rows of politicians with utter disdain. Juliet was more right than even she knew.

Finally, after several moments of contemplation, Holly descended from the shuttle with warily, Artemis following, silent for once. But their uncharacteristic quiet was broken by the chattering of the media whose frenzy of question immediately filled the air:

"Is it true that former IA Director Ark Sool was recently arrested? Tell us why, Major."

"How do you feel about the involvement of humans, especially that of Artemis Fowl II, in these recent affairs?"

"Why did you refuse the commander's offer of marriage, Miss Short? Care to elaborate on your decision?"

Resisting the urge to stun the incredibly nosy band of reporters, Holly ignored the impatient media and bypassed the group straight to Vinyaya who stood waiting. "Hi," she said softly, unsure of what her mentor's reaction might be.

The wing commander embraced her protégée in a rare gesture of familiarity, despite the live news cameras that captured the moment. "Holly," she began, "You did good, Holly, no matter what Cahertez says."

"And exactly what is he saying?" Holly asked, breaking away from the embrace, uneasiness etched upon her visage.

"Not much yet," the councilwoman replied. "I've convinced him to give you a fair hearing and reserve judgment until then. The press, as you can see, has not been informed yet."

Holly nodded. "It's not like they don't already have enough to talk about. So what are the charges?"

"Misconduct and misdemeanor," Vinyaya replied. "He'll likely frame it around Lauren Maple's death but we all know what the real issue is."

A brief silence, and then…

"Holly," Vinyaya said suddenly. "You know what you have to do, don't you?"

"Are you asking me to lie under oath?" Holly inquired, knowing the politician far too well.

"It's too late for that." Vinyaya said quietly and out of earshot of the reporters. "Trouble Kelp captured the whole event on his iris cam."

At this point, even Holly had the grace to look scandalized. "Cahertez didn't _watch_ it, did he?"

"He did," Vinyaya affirmed grimly, astutely noticing the attention that her colleagues were paying to her rather private conversation with the major they so longed to question. "Now, the rest of what we have to discuss ought to be done in private. The operation booth should do."

Holly glanced over at Artemis. He was talking to Juliet and Minerva but it was at that precise moment that their eyes met. Those impenetrable azure irises gripped her and, in the mere subtlety of a single nod, told her that their own private conversation would have to wait until later, until all this was settled. Without further ado, she followed her mentor down the hall, into official LEP facilities.

* * *

The constantly evolving skyline of Haven was broken with the sudden appearance of a human figure towering above the fairy ones. It was no doubt a thoroughly peculiar sight for all to see a human walking unaccompanied through the streets of a fairy city, but after all, this was Artemis Fowl. 

He approached Holly's house, and after a moment of scrutinizing the unfamiliar electronically coded key, entered. Expecting the dwelling to be empty, as its rightful owner was absent, Artemis was surprised to hear sounds (a song?) from an inner room inside the house. As he approached a study of some sort, he saw Mariana, her back turned to him, with her pointed ears covered with headphones, humming along to some pop song or other, and…was that what passed for dancing among teenagers nowadays?

Suddenly, she noticed him through a mirror and spun around. "What are you doing here again?"

"I suppose you've heard about all of this?" Artemis asked, ignoring her query.

"Foaly called a few minutes ago," she said, inattentively tinkering with a paperweight, leaning against the mahogany desk. "You do know that this is all your fault, don't you?"

"Yes," Artemis admitted. For guilt burdened his conscience, an all too human reaction that it seemed only two females on Earth could inspire from him: Holly and his mother. Struggling to change the subject, he adopted his customary psychologist's act: "And you do realize that you have a tendency to lay all the blame on me? Why do you suppose that is?"

"Ha, like you don't deserve it," Mariana laughed as if the idea had never occurred to her. "You always have to ruin things for her, don't you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not stupid, Artemis, and I do read the papers occasionally, especially where it concerns my own sister," Mariana replied tartly. "The Council could have her badge for this."

Artemis sighed, racking his brain for a possible legal solution to their dilemma. True, they had not technically broken any existing laws, but they had shattered nearly every unwritten social tenet that fairy culture held. And all could be lumped under the broad term "misconducts and misdemeanor".

"_And_ don't you realize?" Mariana continued, her vehemence undiminished. "For once in her life Holly was just happy, and then you come and shatter all of it. Not to mention Trouble's heart."

"And what makes you like Trouble so much?"

"We've been friends for about as long as I can remember," Mariana replied. "He's like a brother to me. In fact, he would've been, had it not been for you."

"Yes, yes, yes," Artemis interrupted her rant impatiently. "I know you hate me, but I don't suppose that you'd be interested in a temporary pact if it could save your sister's career?"

"What exactly are you talking about?" Mariana inquired suspiciously.

"You won't like it," Artemis warned.  
"Spill it, mud boy."

He told her. She didn't like it.

* * *

Vinyaya rubbed her temples with her hand. Holly could only imagine what she was thinking; how asinine and undisciplined her onetime mentor must believe her to be. Because she had let her emotions get in the way of what was truly important: the mission and the cause. 

"There's a simple way to get out of this, Holly," she replied at last. "Just say he seduced you."

"What?" Holly nearly rose from her seat in surprise.

"Listen to me, Holly," the councilwoman snatched her slender wrist. "Blame it on him and right now, right here, they will believe you. You just gave them the high profile arrest of the century and effectively saved their world from utter annihilation— this is your one chance to clear your name in their books once and for all."

Holly considered it. She really did. It would be so easy to just lie and avoid all this heartache, another scandal, another few press cycles being the subject of the _Haven Times_'s typically unflattering headline. And what was it that Vinyaya, her mentor, her childhood heroine, had told her when she was just a teenager with a little potential and absolutely no discipline? The cause is everything, and as long as that cause can be achieved, any cost, any means, is acceptable. And that was what their game-plan had been all about these years, getting her in Recon, proving to the world what females were capable of. If Holly let her career crumble now, all because of some silly emotional temptation, then it would all be gone, not just for her, but for all those little girls who sent her fan mail and wanted more than just the ordinary. After all, Artemis would surely understand.

But there was something so bittersweet about the relationship they've had all these years. Alone, in the midst of missions when either omit no one saw or cared, they could be anyone, companions, friends, lovers, even. But caught in the harsh reality of the real world, Holly found herself skirting away from the truth all too often. To think that she couldn't even tell Foaly, her best friend, about how deep her relationship with Artemis had truly become. And, she herself was gullible, unable to defend him when the moment presented itself.

"No," Holly said softly.

"What?"

"No," Holly repeated, her voice stronger now. "I've played your game, Commander, for all too long. Do you know what I've become because of it? I didn't even stand up for him when he needed me. I was stupid enough to be coerced into believing that propaganda that the Council loves so much. I didn't stop them when they mind-wiped him, even though I knew it was wrong. And I agreed to this goddamn desk job even though all I want is to be able to see the stars again. Juliet is right; I've become exactly what I despised about Cahertez and all the others just a few years ago. So, I'm not going to go along with it anymore. I'm not yours to control, Vinyaya."

"Holly, listen to me very carefully," Vinyaya began, her voice frighteningly calm. "You're right, in a way; the Council has played you, used you to their advantage when it suited them. I'm sure you've noticed but, until lately, you didn't seem to care, as long as they would still send you on these missions.

"But it doesn't matter. That's just politics— sometimes you have to let yourself be manipulated if you want to move ahead. And you, you can be so much. If you keep this up, in another hundred years, you could be Council Chair!"

"I don't want it, not any of it!" Holly shouted. "Not if you play like this. Not if I'm just going to lose myself along the way."

"Holly, think of your sister, think of the world you grew up in," Vinyaya pressed. "Is that what you want for the future? You know how the Council will play this— they will never let you rise this way."

"I'm sorry," Holly said, backing away slowly, struggling to restrain the tears "But I can't do this any more, Commander, no matter how just the cause. I'm sorry."

* * *

The downtown square of Haven was lined with several pretentious buildings, each flaunting their authority, including, for an example, Police Plaza and the Courthouse. It was here in the ancient brick and marble structure that two of the most unlikely cohorts met the next day, peeking through a conveniently open window. 

"I am going to murder you," Mariana muttered as she gathered up her dark curls in a high ponytail, struggling to balance herself in the four-inch heels. "I mean, I may be slightly less chaste than Holly, but I'm no Lili Frond."

"And so says the girl who absolutely adores 'nano-minis'," Artemis observed, a hint of laughter reflected in his tone.  
"At least my clothes are tasteful," she protested. "Now, I just look like a slut."

Indeed she was telling the truth: Mariana Short was dressed (against her will) in an extremely short skirt that could barely pass as decent, a crop top that blatantly revealed several inches of bare cleavage, and previously-mentioned stilettos that were colored in an incredibly repugnant shade of school bus yellow.

"Perfect," Artemis shrugged, returning his gaze back to the interior of the courtroom where Holly sat. She, on the other hand, was dressed modestly in a grey pantsuit, compete with pearls. The symbol of virginity, Artemis had remarked with amusement, but after all, if it had worked for Elizabeth I…

"I still don't get what me dressing as a slut is supposed to do for Holly," Mariana said, tugging at the edges of her crop top.

"Character foils," Artemis explained. "By comparison, you make Holly seem like a nun."

"Wonderful," Mariana muttered as she wobbled up the steps, "very flattering, Artemis. Just shows your real talent with the ladies, doesn't it?"

"Just remember to seem confident," Artemis disregarded the mockery, "and, uh, flaunt your…assets."

"Urgh," Mariana grumbled and very maturely stuck out her tongue at the human as she stomped up the steps. A few moments later, Artemis had the pleasure of regarding Council Chairman Cahertez's countenance when he saw the girl debasing his precious courtroom with such indecency.

"I'm Holly's sister," Mariana began. "And let me tell you something about her. Yeah, she's reckless sometimes about rules and stuff, especially when it comes to saving people— Dad was always like that, too. But she, like, totally _isn't_ a slut 'cause I know that's like what you're thinking. She is, like, the most prudish person you'd ever meet. Like, she and Trouble have been together for practically forever and she _still_ didn't sleep with him. I was all, like, _what_ are you waiting for? Anyways, wanna hear about all the other guys she didn't sleep with?"

Even Artemis could resist a grin at the girl's acting skills. Even if she would never admit it, she did do an excellent Lili Frond impression…and perhaps that wasn't so much of a compliment as an offense replace with insult.

The rest of the room was similarly amused, except for perhaps the poker-faced Council. Cahertez took used the pause to respond, "No, I think that'll be enough, Miss."

"Cool," Mariana said. She flipped her hair and spun around on her heels, walking towards the door, all the while displaying an extremely fine view of her rear end to the Council.

Holly barely managed to refrain from giggling. That was brilliant, that was, and incredibly hilarious, too. Mariana was a natural drama queen, and besides, it didn't take much to impersonate the simple mind of Lili Frond.

Catching Artemis's eye outside, she nodded her thanks.

But her attention was soon snatched by Vinyaya who suddenly stood and left her position among the other Council members. As she passed by Holly's seat to the podium, she made no motion of recognition towards her protégée at all. Staring up straight into Cahertez's eyes, she began:

"This is purely ridiculous, Chairman. I absolutely refuse to participate in this public lynching you call a tribunal. I think we all know that the tragic death of Lauren Maple is not the real case today. In this press report you issued just this morning, you barely mentioned her, instead choosing to brood over an instance of impropriety between Artemis Fowl and Major Holly Short."

"It doesn't matter, Commander," the Chairman replied evenly. "No matter how you spin it, what passed between _your_ major and the human is completely unacceptable. That is, unless you are to suggest that this is a common practice among your female officers?"

Holly wanted to slap him right then but she managed to restrain herself. Vinyaya seemed to be battling similar sentiments. She contented herself by answering cheekily, "Perhaps we should also conduct a tribunal discussing _your_ personal relations, Chairman?"

"That is not the issue here," he said. Had he been a cartoon caricature, steam would've been spilling from his ears by now. "The issue is that this is not proper conduct for an officer, especially in the midst of a critical mission…"

"Is it not also improper conduct for the Council Chairman to be having extra-marital affairs? At the very least, doesn't that demonstrate a lack of morals and set a bad example to the entire city? And, might I mention, while leading a mob against a responsible young lady who just saved your entire civilization for the fifth time running?"

"You have no proof of that!" Cahertez imploded.

"I think your third wife has a slightly different story to tell," Vinyaya smiled knowingly. "But I can let that go, if…"

"Not a chance, your arguments are irrelevant…"

"And you would strip Major Short of her rank for a personal matter? A matter that I would dare say that you have no ruling over, being only one of seven Council members, and a true hypocrite at that?"

"Again, these things are irrelevant!"

Vinyaya's expression softened a bit, "And so is this. Major Short has consistently gone above and beyond the call of duty. Her conduct has but one difference from yours— she acts upon her heart. The day that you declare that to be a felony is a tragic day indeed when, because of her, your entire world has been saved from annihilation. She has formed alliances that have been prohibited for millennia, alliances we desperately need at a time like this. Perhaps we ought to reevaluate what we once believed to be acceptable or unacceptable. And if her conduct should rely a bit too heavily upon her emotions, then let it be. She has helped you all more than you know.

"So, I will leave you with just a few more words. I know you have never been averse to accusing Holly Short of all sorts of misconduct, many of which she did indeed commit. And I know only too well of your prejudices, the ones that run too deep to be changed by one person who dared to think differently. But, please, think carefully when you vote on this. Your very future could depend upon it."

Not for the first time in recent days, Holly marveled at Vinyaya's eloquent ability to sell not only herself as a politician, but her officers as well. She had almost forgotten, since those days in her youth when the vibrant young revolutionary was first running for public office, what an impression the unadorned articulacy of Vinyaya's words could make upon an audience. Perhaps even a dirty game like politics could come in handy at times.

"Well, Miss Short," Cahertez interrupted her ponderings. "What have you to say for yourself?"

Holly stood, regarding the audience that sat before her. Though the usual tribunal wasn't nearly this crowded, the explicit subject matter of the charges seemed to have brought the entire LEP to the courts even on a Saturday morning. Or perhaps they just wanted to see her get berated by the likes of Cahertez. Well, if so, they were going to be sorely disappointed.

All eyes on you, Holly, she told herself. Easy, just like crunchball matches…well, not really, but anyway, here goes: "I realize that my conduct on this mission has not been exactly…orthodox," she began, addressing the Council. "I don't deny anything. And though I apologize for the awkward timing, I won't apologize for what I did."

"I've pretended to be a lot of things in my life. I used to dress up like a boy and go downtown just to see what it would feel like. I've acted like the typical Recon jock just so I could be one of the guys. And most of all, I stood by you for all these years, pretending that I didn't care about Artemis and Butler and Juliet, just because I was told that it wasn't right to care.

"The last promise I ever made to my father was to never change myself to please others. I wish I'd realized just how valuable his words were as a child and perhaps I wouldn't have spent all this time trying to justify myself to everyone. Well, all that ends today.

"So here's the truth: I think Butler is incredibly brave and I wouldn't be alive right now if it weren't for him. Juliet is my friend and I feel closer to her than I do to most of my own family. And I love Artemis Fowl.

"And you know what? Everyone, even the most conservative of politicians were just fine with our 'collaboration' as long as they had control over us. As long as they could use me and our friendship to their advantage and expect me to oblige. Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Cahertez, but I am not a robot. Nor am I your convenient scapegoat. You cannot fairly expect me to 'collaborate' with Artemis on so many life-threatening missions and not care for him in the least.

"Because I do and that's the only truth I can possibly tell you. Thank you," Holly returned to her seat, realizing that she had probably killed her own career, but found that she didn't much care. A much larger burden had been lifted from her chest and for the moment, she felt positively giddy.

"Alright," the Councilman muttered. "The tribunal will reconvene for their decision in an hour's time."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Ha ha ha! I just had to leave you at a cliffhanger here. Consider it revenge for being very sparse with reviews lately…. All you people who've been reading this for a while now and never reviewed, I just want to tell y'all that this is coming to an end soon so you'd better cough up. C'mon, reviews for the poor? 

Also, keep on voting in the reviews and tell me if you'd like the epilogue to be a one-shot or attached to this story. And, since I'm just really nice, I'm considering a sequel, so vote on that, too. Warning: It'll be dark, darker than this, especially given what I have planned for the end. So tell me, shall I get started in earnest on this?

So happy very belated New Year and review, review, review!!!

Lily


	20. Life Goes On

**Disclaimer:** I seriously don't own it- after 20 chapters, you'd think it'd have sunk in.

**Author's Note: **So this is it. It's hard for me to believe that I'm actually finishing this fic, something that has taken up tons of gigs on my computer, spreading over about 180 pages on Microsoft Word, single spaced. It really is novel-length and this is actually the first fic or original fiction I've ever finished that's been this long. (I have next to zero patience, as you've probably realized by now!) And I want you all to know that your support is what made me go through with it, more than anything.

That said, I hope this chapter is a fitting ending. I'd never expected this story to garner so much support and Orion nominations too, so I'd never really prepared some spectacular ending. It's a bit awkard, given my weird inclination to attempt and give everyone a soliloquy. And maybe I lack the emotional maturity to write something like this, but I wanted to try so here it is. I just hope it's not a disappointment to anyone:

* * *

**Chapter 20 Life Goes On**

Most fairies nowadays are not so antiquated as to request a formal burial upon their death, especially since living underground significantly affects the costs of actually managing to _bury_ a body in the earth when there is barely a bit of loose dirt to be found. But still, tombstones and various monuments were erected for nearly every death, even if there was no body buried beneath it.

Today was a fine day, as decreedby the Council, for all weather patterns are controlled this far belowground, and few were spending their afternoon brooding about past deaths in the city cemetery. In fact, barring one lone figure kneeling by a newly installed memorial, the entire necropolis was empty.

"I am so stupid," Mariana whispered to a dead soul who could not possibly hear her self-deprecating comments. "But that should come as no surprise to anyone, I suppose. But I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for everything I caused.

"It's not easy, you know, being Holly's sister. I hate to sound like the whiny little kid but I suppose I just wanted to be the star of something for once. I just wanted a little slice of the pie, just a bit of excitement, a bit of _fun_ of my own. But I guess that just shows how silly and _stupid_ I was.

"And now you're dead because of it. I didn't even know you, but you died because I was too idiotic to realize that this is real life and there are dangers, consequences. I never realized that so much could happen simply because I was being a damned idiot. It should be me in court instead of Holly, and it should be me who's dead instead of you."

Mariana took a deep breath and stood up, wondering how she was ever going to be able to go home and face the consequences of her self-confessed idiocy. Someone had _died_ because of her stupidity. Perhaps it was high time for her to finally grow up.

* * *

Haven's prestigious courthouse was both an ancient monument and a marvel of new technologies. At first glance, it was built from solid brick, except for the inclusion of a few pure gold panels, and seemed to harmonize with the rest of the city square, an example of what humans would call neoclassical architecture. Yet, hidden beneath the golden panels was a plethora of the latest technological equipment — everything from DNA scanners, to buttonhole CCTV cameras, to holographic projectors.

And its courtrooms, of course, were equally impressive. With a single flip of a hidden panel, the long wooden tables of the jury rooms were transformed into a sea of plasma screens and ultra-sensitive touch pads, allowing each juror to view every bit of evidence introduced into the case, sometimes gigabytes of information. It was all highly advanced and extremely accurate.

It was in one of these rooms that Major Holly Short's fate was to be decided, but her jurors were not ordinary people. They were the seven members of the Council, as was traditional for a LEP tribunal. But just as in a civilcase, she saw nothing of the haggling that went on behind those closed— and electronically locked— doors.

Along with the entire audience, she could only wait until the bailiff returned to usher in the Council members. As usual, their faces betrayed nothing of what had occurred in the past hour.

A hush fell over the crowded courtroom as Cahertez announced in a nasal, clearly displeased voice, "The Council has voted four-to-three in favor of clearing the defendant of all charges."

Holly let out a sigh of relief and, for a moment, simply basked in the glory of knowing that the burden that had weighed upon her for these past days was over. As the courtroom began to clear, Holly also turned to leave, eyeing the receding back of Trouble Kelp. This wasn't over; she had further amends to make.

Vinyaya tapped her on the shoulder. Holly swung around, and said, simply, "Thank you."

"No problem," she replied, "I want you to know that I only had your best interests at heart. But it was my dream, not yours, and I'm the one that would do anything to reach the top, not you. You know, I used to be Cahertez's aide, nodding along with his terrible policies and social positions I never agreed on, just to get ahead. But you were always a better person than that.

"I understand; sometimes I forget that my dreams are not always yours and it isn't right to manipulate you into achieving all I failed to do. But Holly, if you ever do change your mind about running for public office," she winked, "I'm available for a bit of consultancy work."

Holly nodded, though she already knew the answer to that particular question. "But it doesn't seem like you've failed to do anything, Commander."

"Yes, well, we all have big dreams when we're young, don't we?" Vinyaya smiled sadly. "And sometimes, they don't always come true."

"Well, Cahertez won't be in office forever," Holly said, grinning. "Re-election's in two years— perhaps you can knock him off his pedestal."

"Don't mention it in front of him," Vinyaya reminded her. "Especially since he's still stinging from the personal blows, if you know what I mean."

"Right," Holly agreed, glancing out of the window, atthe street down whichTrouble was already heading. "Well, I've got someone to catch up with, if you don't mind…"

"Of course," Vinyaya said, following her gaze. "But, Holly, all I ask is that perhaps you can consider your actions a tad more carefully next time and save us all a bit of grief?"

Holly couldn't help but giggle in relief. "Yes, ma'am."

* * *

It was a strange sight to see in downtown Haven: a young woman dressed in formal attire sprinting from the courthouse at a breakneck speed, her high-heeled shoes dangling comically from her hand. She paid no attention to the staring bystanders, and gave only a single, regretful, passing glance to the human who stood waiting beside the courthouse, instead chasing after the commander of the LEP.

"Trouble, wait!" Holly called out with the remaining vestiges of her breath. He turned around and spat out, "What do you want?"

"Trouble, you can't just leave it like this, leave us like this," Holly panted as she strode the last few feet towards him. "We've been through too much together to just be messed up over this. Please, can't we at least be friends?"

"You know I've wanted more than that for years."

"I know. And well," Holly attempted a smile, motioning to the courthouse where many of the female officers (namely Lili Frond and her cronies) were eyeing Trouble suggestively, "apparently you have plenty of choice. I mean, you're the perfect guy for a lot of girls; brave and funny and even drop-dead gorgeous."

"But not for you?" it was more of a statement than a question.

"And for me," Holly asserted, "Mariana's right, what more could I possibly want? My mother even disapproved of you; it's a match made in heaven. You have to understand; you're the one I wish I could love. I really do, Trouble."

"But you can't," Trouble replied, already knowing the answer. "Look, Holly, I'm so sorry about this, about ratting out to Cahertez. I know this was exactly what you were talking about…"

"No, Trouble, that doesn't matter," Holly shook her head. "The truth is, I could never be what you want, what you need. I know you want to run for the Council one day, and that's wonderful, but I can't be your political wife, Trouble. I can't stand by your side looking pretty and hosting parties for fundraisers. I can't put myself through that and you shouldn't ask me to."

"You wouldn't have to do anything for my career. I don't care what people think."

"That's a lie and you know it," Holly said dismissively. "Politics is all about what people think. And well, I'm guessing I'm not exactly flavor of the month right now."

"You know I don't care about that," Trouble said, still clutching at straws.

"Yes," Holly admitted. "But the world does, and I suppose sometimes you do have to play by the rules, unfair as they might be. One day, maybe you can change that; after all, if anyone can, you can. But it won't be me by your side. So find yourself a nice little trophy wife and I promise I'll help you pick out the ring. After all, you have no taste."

Trouble laughed. "I do, too," he countered with a very Grub-like pout.

"Sorry to break it to you," Holly said pulling out a ring from her purse, "but jade and sapphire really don't match."

"Well, it matches in your eyes." Trouble replied, referring to her own hazel eye along with Artemis's azure one.

Holly couldn't help but grin. Yes, they do match, she thought, after all, opposites attract.

* * *

Trouble watched her leave, and it seemed for a moment, that the ersatz sun shone only upon her for the sole purpose of spotlighting her beauty. Her usually dark auburn hair glowed copper and her slender figure seemed to be bathed in a ray of golden light. And that was exactly why he was in love with her and always would be.

It wasn't so much that Holly was beautiful but that she seemed to exude a sort of radiance, a confidence and brilliant wit that no other could match. She was so effervescent and vibrant, never afraid to speak her mind or defy even the most respected sources of authority. Everything she did was nothing short of exceptional, always on the far end of every spectrum. In a way, she embodied all that he wasn't, but secretly wished to be. And perhaps he had imagined that, if she loved him, it would mean that he possessed a bit of that sparkle too.

Yes, he had always been the reliable one. Always took the right path, always abided by every rule. It was he who worked hard and approached every obstacle with meticulousness and dedication, but it was Holly who'd truly thrived, despite (or perhaps because of) her impulsiveness.

Trouble knew that he could never match such joie de vivre. Their conversations were long and heartfelt, but there was never even the slightest spark, their interaction had never contained that element of a battle of wits that Holly had always shared with Foaly and – yes – Artemis. They may have been happy together, and suited each other easily, but Trouble had always suspected that no matter how hard he always tried to be the perfect boyfriend, she could never love him. After all, she deserved someone equally unique and colorful, a vivid character to match her own, not someone tinted in shades of grey and reeking of predictability.

"Trouble," Ash Vein called to his friend. "Are you coming to the crunchball match tonight?"

Trouble swallowed. Tonight was the night that Artemis was to leave Haven. Holly would be there and perhaps he should be too. But then again, he was a bit tired of chasing after what he knew he could never have.

"Yeah, Ash," Trouble said, turning around to clap his comrade on the back. "I'll be there."

* * *

Police Plaza hosted its own small, and far more secure, shuttleport, where its officers could pass through quickly and efficiently and its more dubious acquaintances could be transported without incident (namely public outcry). It came in particularly handy in times like these when it allowed Artemis and Juliet to be escorted back to Ireland uneventfully and enabledtheir fairy comrades to see them off. But, of course, the eyes of the Council lurked just behind a Plexiglas panel (though the Commander was surprisingly absent).

Foaly and Juliet stood to one side, watching. "How sad," Juliet remarked observingHolly and Artemis's poignant farewell. "It really isn't fair, is it?"

"No," Foaly sighed. "Funny how a little thing like love makes every other consideration seem stupid and cruel."

"Do you really think they're in love?" Juliet asked. True, she had never seen Artemis like this over any girl, not even Minerva. But how could anyone be sure with Artemis Fowl, who hardly ever dared to reveal his emotions, even nowadays when Holly had managed to peel back a few layers of his constant facade?

"As much as I hate to admit it, yes," Foaly admitted. "Holly isn't the type to fall for just anyone, you know. You wouldn't believe the amount of guys who've asked her out, and she's never said yes to anyone but Trouble. Not once, in all the time I've known her, even if Chix Verbil has tried at least a hundred times."

"172, to be exact," Vinyaya corrected sidling up behind the pair. "There are actually some officers taking bets on how many times he'll try before he gives up. The smart money's on the outside of 200."

"What did you bet?" Juliet asked curiously.

"Not a word to Cahertez," she warned. "But, 300. Think my money's safe?"

The motley throng turned their eyes back to the pair for a moment, witnessing Chix Verbil ogling Holly, despite her attention being riveted on Artemis.

"Yeah," Foaly replied. "How could Chix let a little thing like love stop him?"

* * *

The shuttle was sleek and unmarked and even from a single glance, Artemis's typically analytical mind could see that its futuristic design was far beyond the reach of human invention. But to his surprise, he no longer marveled at every bit of fairy technology he witnessed as he once had as a twelve-year-old child, entranced by the world he had been brilliant enough to discover. Now, when it had become exceedingly likely that he would never return to this place of wonders there was no curiosity or amazementleft in him— only pathos for the journey that had ended today.

Over the years, even the avariciously self-serving heir to the Fowl Empire had been inexplicably compelled to execute even the most altruistic acts. The entire idea had confounded him until now. But because he now understood why, Artemis realized that there was one final sacrifice he must make.What a supreme paradox: that he had discovered how to be selfless only now, when his every instinct compelled him to act otherwise, to retain what he wanted most.

A familiar hand touched the fine fabric of his dark blazer, slipping something within its silken folds. "Holly," he whispered, turning around to find her standing just feet away.

"It's a new communicator," she explained. "Foaly designed it so, naturally, the Council won't be able to detect it."

"Holly, we need to talk," Artemis's words seemed laden with foreboding. "This can't go on. You must realize; we're breaking laws that haven't even been made yet, though I am sure that Cahertez is hard at work remedying that right now. What happened between us was stupid and senseless and I'm sorry. This is not worth risking your career over."

"I know," Holly said, running a hand through her auburn hair as she glanced anxiously at the waiting Council members. "But doesn't it just reek ofirony that the one thing I finally got you to apologize over I actually wanted to happen?"

Artemis laughed, though there was a bitter undertone to it stepping a fractioncloser. "So this is it, isn't it," he found himself repeating the same words he had asked as a teenager. "This is good-bye for the last time?"

Holly turned away, hiding her sorrow from the masses. Everyone thought that she was so courageous, so fearless, but here she was, crumbling at the mere thought of parting. And all over a male, for goodness' sakes, she silently berated herself, when you've turned down more guys than you can count? Why are you being so crazy?

Slender pianist's fingers snatched her wrist and cobalt eyes captured hers. "Just tell me this— any regrets about us?"

"None at all," she answered. And it was true— for all the pain and suffering that these past ten years had brought them both, somehow, the momentary joy and fervor at having overcome every obstacle, climbed every supposedly-insuperable mountain outweighed it all. But this, this obstacle, they could not and would not overcome.

Yet the intolerance they faced was justified. The millennia of battles and skirmisheshad broken the worlds apart, forever. Few remembered those days, but no doubt the age-old prejudices had been instilled dutifully in each and every child. And there was good reason for it, of course, but perhaps, now, it was time for things to change. But that is another story.

Their lips joined in one last, bittersweet kiss, full of the burden of knowledge, for both had chosen to eat from the fruit of the tree and open the Pandora's box that had always lingered in their hands, waiting. Some would say that the apple wasn't so sweet, but our lovers begged to differ for despite the many unfortunate consequences that resulted from this knowledge, the sweetest gift of all was also derived from the very same origin.

No, there were no regrets.

"Hey!" the pilot yelled, interrupting the moment. "Would the humans please get on board, now?"

Juliet ascended the shuttle first, but lingered over its threshold, seeking to give Artemis a few more precious moments by her hesitation. Even mere seconds are precious when they are all that are left of a journey, a great expedition about to be completed. Her turquoise eyes glimmered for a moment, regarding the world she had unwittingly stumbled into through the genius of her employer. A single whisper slipped from her lips, "Goodbye, Haven."

"This isn't the end, Artemis, I promise," Holly whispered. "Someday, somehow, we'll find a way."

"One day," he agreed, his lips tenderly brushing hers, both of them taking their leave of each other's sweetness, each other's warmth, "things can change, but nottoday. For now, we must both go our separate ways."

His hand slipped away from hers, their fingertips touching for the slightest moment. It was then, in a voice barely louder than a whisper, feeling more vulnerable than ever before, that Holly uttered the words that she had never even imagined possible: "I love you."

Not for the first time, Artemis felt a lump constrict his throat, though he could think of no plausible scientific explanation for its existence. He simply nodded, at a complete loss for words, and took his leave.

Swallowing the tears that threatened to spill, Holly willed herself to be strong, especially before the prejudiced audience that was dispassionately watching. But despite the deluge of pain that encased her, she knew that Artemis was right. At least for today, now, she must go on, feigning once more that her heart was whole, undiminished by the eras of tragedies that had taken their tolls. For there were people who needed her and their plights must outweigh her own.

While the shuttle's engines roared into action, Artemis watched Holly, framed by the ranks of superiors who had confined her for so long, too long. Amazing how two people and their reckless decisions could shock and shake a world on its very foundations. For all his dreams and schemes, even Artemis Fowl had never imagined colliding with an entire civilization so drastically as to overturn every tradition and convention. One day, they would have to finish the job that they had begun; changing a society forever, but today was not that day. As with every wildfire, after the flames had risen, threatening to ravage all that they had carefully built, but when the flood receded, the rock was still there. Life went on.

And so would they.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, what did you think? Catch any literary allusions?

I want to take this moment to thank everyone who's reviewed and given me advice and critique with this story. Your support means so much to me- it really is the reason I had the perservance to continue this fic. And everyone who's even just read it through and stuck by me despite times where you might've been disappointed or angry at what I chose to write. Thank you.

I'm also going to be taking a hiatus from fanfiction writing after this, given that I'm getting extremely busy nowadays, what with sports, mock trial, journalism, art competitions, and school on top of that. I'll still post drabbles or even oneshots (I was recently inspired into attempting a truly horrifying ship...Holly/Opal) occasionally but I won't be starting any major works for quite a while. As for the sequel, I will try to write it when I have time and if it turns out well, I'll post it in the summer. So this is the end for a while.

Well, technically, this isn't actually the end since I still have an epilogue to post. And yes, it will be here, not in a seperate story simply because it'd be much easier that way. Also, it's already written so if you guys all review, then perhaps it'll be up faster...what? You can't expect me to turn down my one last chance to blackmail all my readers! ;-)

Review...do I even need to say it?

Lily


	21. If You Come Softly

**Disclaimer:** For the final time, I don't own anyone or anything AF-related. Also, I don't own this amazing poem by Audre Lorde.

**Author's Note:** So this is it, the epilogue you've all been waiting for. It's not a happy ending, but it's not tragic either. My friend Nicki says that I managed to hit the mark of "sweetly sad" so hopefully, you'll agree.

It's quite different from the style that I wrote most of Collision in. To tell the truth, this is more my style, a softer, one-shot-oriented prose that I started writing with and I think I'll end with here. And so, without further ado, for the last time, enjoy:

* * *

**Epilogue: If You Come Softly**

Nestled within the hills of southern Ireland was a place still uninhabited by humans, a magical place, as fairies would call it. It was where ancient oak and twisted water met, and the serenity of nature disturbed only by a quiet rustle in the trees.

A slight figure flickered into view, clearly female but yet boyish in her slenderness and strong physique. As she lifted her countenance to the speckled moon that hung above upon the threads of winter clouds in the indigo night sky, emotion filled her sparkling hazel eyes. Dark auburn curls slipped to her shoulders as she carefully deserted every ounce of equipment on her person, vigilant to turn buttonhole camera incased in her helmet face downwards. For tonight was forbidden by nearly every force that governed her world and the expectation of that society flickered tangibly in her eyes as indecision plagued her actions for the first time in years.

_If you come as softly  
As the wind within the trees  
You may hear what I hear  
See what sorrow sees._

Through the dark of the night, only a visage, as pale and striking as the moon itself, was visible as a young man slowly approached the banks of the creek, his breath casting smoky shadows in the frigid night air. His rhythmic bursts of breath rose into the air like a thousand souls seeking their refuge. With one toe of his loafer, he casually traced trigonometric equations in the fertile soil as he awaited a reprieve from the pathos that encumbered one of Ireland's most eligible bachelors.

_If you come as lightly  
As threading dew  
I will take you gladly  
Nor ask more of you._

Holly, for of course it was she, deeply breathed in the piney freshness of the woods in which she stood, peering out from behind the shelter of the trees with the night air shrouding her shoulders like a well-wornn blanket. The grip of the powerful had tightened over her in the past year and this was one of her few chances to simply savor the fresh air here, far above the city beneath the earth. But if she could bring herself to be the maverick she had once vowed to be, she was about to take the slightest bit of a detour, and venture to the other side of the creek.

__

You may sit beside me  
Silent as a breath

Patience was not in the nature of Fowl, but even so, it was none other than Artemis Fowl II who sat in utter silence, without complaint, for there was only one person in the world who had the ability to lift the impenetrable shadows that hooded him nearly every day of his life. And his heart soared as a single stature appeared from within the wood, seeing her for the first time in nearly a year.

_Only those who stay dead  
Shall remember death._

For as long as she lived (and that could very well be millennia), Holly knew that she could never forget this. Even if tonight was the last time she ever saw him, the traces of Artemis were etched forever into the walls of her memory palace, accompanied by the remaining watermarks from the floods of grief that had ravaged it only too many times. And yet, had the walls been pristine and blank with safety, she would've regretted it.

_And if you come I will be silent  
Nor speak harsh words to you. _

A perfect gentlemen as always, Artemis stood and for a moment, their hands linked in a sort of overpass above the swirling water before Holly's feet touched the soft grass on the other side. Was it greener, fresher, or was it just her imagination? And suddenly, ever word that had ever graced the lips of either deserted them, leaving them standing silently beneath the Milky Way. And somehow, despite the tribulations that burdened both, in the indescribable tranquility of the moment, all was well.

_I will not ask you why now.  
Or how, or what you do._

After all, no words were necessary, for no amount of cleverness or wit could bridge the boundaries, the great river of objections that lay between them. The slightest moment spared to have the simple pleasure of being together, if only for one night, was all they could muster, for now. But perhaps one day, they would sail across the river as one and build a bridge from one coast to the next, for all to cross. And perhaps the foundations were already being laid, all because of two star-crossed lovers.

_We shall sit here, softly  
Beneath two different years  
And the rich between us  
Shall drink our tears_.

FIN

* * *

**Author's Note:** So...what did you think? I just love the atmosphere that this poem set for this- it really helped me write it. So I hope you all read this poem very carefully, and tasted the very beauty of it. Just amazing.

Anyway, thank you to everyone who stuck it out with me for this long, read and reviewed. Believe me when I say that it really means a lot to me that so many people would read and like my work. And all of you, knowing that there were people waiting for more chapters, expecting a quality that I didn't think I was capable of, helped me improve in my writing so much. Know that if I ever do achieve my dream of being published professionally, a big part of it will be because of you. Thank you.

And for all of you who lurked around and didn't review, you know who you are. You've got one last chance to make me very, very happy, guys...come on, click that pretty blue button!

Like I said, I'm going on hiatus for a while because of my insane schedule. However, I think I'll be able to find time to clean up a few old drabbles for you guys to post. But when I'm back, and I will be, I promise to have a sequel in the works.

Once again, thanks to everyone. It's been a great ride.

Lily


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